Fields Pond offers eagle protection

An American Bald Eagle, soaring majestically over the Penobscot River, remains an enduring and beautiful sight. We are lucky to live in Maine where a conservation ethic exists and sightings are numerous. Yet, eagles have certainly had their share of hard times.

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, Fields Pond Audubon Center will have the honor of presenting Charlie Todd to highlight both the victories and the multi-faceted hazards these great birds still face. Todd, a wildlife biologist with Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife since 1986, began a master’s study of eagles in 1976 with Bucky Owen at the University of Maine, a well-known face in the world of wildlife ecology.

Todd has spearheaded MDIFW population surveys, research and habitat management efforts for Maine eagles. Charlie stresses that partnerships have been pivotal to progress in eagle recovery: notably the long commitment of federal aid and recovery coordination from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, collaboration in research with universities, and the tremendous effort of private property owners and land conservation partners to secure eagle habitats.

In the landscape they live in, eagles continue to face obstacles in their potentially lengthy life span despite a recovery from the detrimental effects of DDT. Other environmental contaminants – such as PCBs, lead and mercury, disturbances at nests and habitat changes, effects of reduced fisheries, impact hazards and other human-related problems still pose potential hazards.

Nesting on the waterfront leads to many pressures and challenges. Todd believes eagles have shown some adaptive tendencies and if we can accommodate some of their special needs, then Maine should remain a stronghold for bald eagles. As for most wildlife, habitat conservation is the ultimate hurdle, but there is a strong environmental awareness in Maine, natural resources are valued, and there is hope for lasting stewardship on public and private lands.

Currently, there are more than 400 breeding pairs in Maine. Numbers across the lower 48 states likely exceed 8,000 pairs. This healthy population has given rise to the prospect of de-listing bald eagles. Removing their status as a “threatened species” is on the horizon. Todd believes the de-listing is more than justified, but cautions that monitoring and management are necessary to safeguard their recovery.

Todd maintains a special relationship with wildlife rehabilitators such as Avian Haven, a facility in Freedom with regional expertise in care of injured eagles. Avian Haven is part of ReMaine Wild, a network of rehabilitators statewide dedicated to releasing injured, orphaned or displaced wildlife back into the wild.

Avian Haven plays a significant role in a story that will be told on Feb. 6, Hallahan and Hall’s account of an eagle stuck in a pipe. Brent Hall found a big, dark bird down inside a section of a pipe and thought the bird lived there. He told his friend Michael Hallahan, of FinePrints portrait studio, about the bird and the two returned later to find the bird in great distress.

Hallahan called the Fields Pond Audubon Center and was referred to Avian Haven. Terry Heitz of Avian Haven shortly arrived on scene. For more on this story and an intimate look at our nation’s most famous bird, come to Fields Pond Audubon Center at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. Admission of $6 general admission or $5 per member benefits the Fields Pond Audubon Center.

Holly Twining is program naturalist at Fields Pond Audubon Center.