Bald Eagles Nesting in Grayson County

Photo Credit: Jay Martin

BRDC staff recently visited the site of Grayson county's nesting bald eagles.  The nest site was discovered in 2015 in a somewhat remote section of the New, with a cattle farm on one side and a steep forested slope on the other. Grayson county's large areas of wilderness, combined with the New River and extensive cattle grazing land, provides a viable habitat for the birds.

Their resurgence in Grayson county points directly to a renewal of healthy populations and the success of conservation efforts. “The eagle nest in Grayson County is a welcome sign of the recovery of our Bald Eagle population, nearly lost from the widespread use of DDT decades over 50 years ago.” (Allen Boynton, formerly with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, is now employed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.)

The United States national emblem since 1782, the bald eagle was listed as endangered in 1967. This iconic bird was finally delisted in 2007, however, the species is still under protection through the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. These acts prohibit the "take, possession, sale, purchase, barter, etc of eagles dead or alive."

This photograph was taken from a distance with a powerful telephoto lens to avoid disturbing the pair and their chicks.