Bald Eagle Monitoring

From 1972-2008, aerial surveys of all known and newly reported nesting territories were conducted during each nesting season. A subset of active nests was surveyed to determine productivity. These surveys provided information on nest location, status, and numbers.

In 2009, FWC implemented a modified survey protocol, under which a portion of nest territories were surveyed each year to determine number of active nests, and a portion of those active nests were revisited to determine productivity. The areas surveyed changed each year to ensure coverage of documented nests over a series of nesting seasons. These changes were made in an effort to identify a more sustainable method for surveying eagle nests and accurately estimate the breeding population size and productivity in Florida.

The FWC will continue to refine survey methods to monitor the bald eagle population in Florida following the species’ removal from the Florida Endangered and Threatened Species List. Future monitoring will support objectives of the Species Action Plan for the Bald Eagle (in development through 2017).

Below are the annual reports that provide a summary of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute's bald eagle nest surveys in Florida.