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Bald Eagles Are Back In A Big Way — And The Talons Are Out

NPR | By Elizabeth Shogren
Published September 4, 2013 at 3:04 AM EDT
Bryan Watts, a conservation biologist at the College of William and Mary, and biology graduate student Courtney Turrin, survey eagle behavior along the James River in late-summer.
Elizabeth Shogren
/
NPR
Bryan Watts, a conservation biologist at the College of William and Mary, and biology graduate student Courtney Turrin, survey eagle behavior along the James River in late-summer.
An eagle wearing a transmitter snatches dinner on the fly.
1 of 6  — An eagle wearing a transmitter snatches dinner on the fly.
An eagle wearing a transmitter snatches dinner on the fly.
/ Courtesy of Ted Ellis
An eagle's feisty attitude starts young.
2 of 6  — An eagle's feisty attitude starts young.
An eagle's feisty attitude starts young.
/ Courtesy of Bryan Watts
Chicks share a catfish.
3 of 6  — Chicks share a catfish.
Chicks share a catfish.
/ Courtesy of Catherine Markham
An eagle stands watch over its nest and mate.
4 of 6  — An eagle stands watch over its nest and mate.
An eagle stands watch over its nest and mate.
/ Courtesy of Bryan Watts
Eagles often nest in the tallest trees — maybe for safety and easy access, scientists say. The view's not bad either.
5 of 6  — Eagles often nest in the tallest trees — maybe for safety and easy access, scientists say. The view's not bad either.
Eagles often nest in the tallest trees — maybe for safety and easy access, scientists say. The view's not bad either.
/ Courtesy of Bryan Watts
A bald eagle nestling won't gain its pale plumage and fully-yellow beak for four or five years.
6 of 6  — A bald eagle nestling won't gain its pale plumage and fully-yellow beak for four or five years.
A bald eagle nestling won't gain its pale plumage and fully-yellow beak for four or five years.
/ Courtesy of Bryan Watts

Bryan Watts, a conservation biologist at the College of William and Mary, and biology graduate student Courtney Turrin, survey eagle behavior along the James River in late-summer.
Elizabeth Shogren / NPR
/
NPR
Bryan Watts, a conservation biologist at the College of William and Mary, and biology graduate student Courtney Turrin, survey eagle behavior along the James River in late-summer.
Eagles picked these bones of a blue catfish clean.
Elizabeth Shogren / NPR
/
NPR
Eagles picked these bones of a blue catfish clean.

Copyright 2013 NPR

Corrected: September 4, 2013 at 12:00 AM EDT
The audio version of this story, as did a previous Web version, says that by the 1970s, there were fewer than 500 eagle nests in the United States. That number refers to the number of nests in the Lower 48.
Elizabeth Shogren
Elizabeth Shogren is an NPR News Science Desk correspondent focused on covering environment and energy issues and news.
See stories by Elizabeth Shogren