Experts Hopeful And Cautious About Nesting Eagles On Lake Zoar

By Andrew Gorosko

With wings outstretched, a muscular bald eagle soars across a deep blue afternoon sky high above Lake Zoar, riding warm air currents upward and then peering downward toward the water, looking for fish swimming near the surface as food for itself and its young.

The bird’s snow-white head and tail glisten in the sharp sunlight, accentuating its broad brownish-black body.

Spotting a fish near the lake’s surface, the soaring bird of prey drops downward, snatches the fish with its feet, and returns to its nest alongside the lake.

The raptor is one of a nesting pair of bald eagles now living along the lake and raising their young.

Although bald eagles often venture southward to Shepaug Dam in the wintertime to roost and feed on fish in open water at the dam’s outlets, the nest which the aquiline pair has built alongside Lake Zoar is very rare in Connecticut, with only two or three such nests known to exist in the state.

A state expert on bald eagles had urged that the eagle’s nest not be publicized, lest it attract undue attention to the nesting pair, which is very sensitive to human contact. Although they are large birds, eagles are easily disturbed by human activity.

There are severe fines and jail time for convictions in violations of the federal Endangered Species Act, which prohibits harassment of the birds, according to Julie Victoria, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Chris Nevins, director of the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield, said the presence of an eagle’s nest is very rare in Connecticut. Eagles are very sensitive to disturbances by humans, he said. The nest would attract many birdwatchers seeking to catch a glimpse of the raptors, he said.

The experts are not disclosing the location of the nest and strongly caution those who may know of the nest to stay far away from the site.

The first year that a pair of bald eagles makes a nest to raise their young is very critical to eagle propagation. If the nest should fail, the pair will not return to the site in the future to raise more young.

The bald eagle is considered an endangered species in Connecticut. It lives along lakes, rivers, and seacoasts. Males can reach 9 pounds and females can reach 14 pounds. The birds are up to 43 inches long and have wingspans of up to 7.5 feet. Eagles live up to 30 years. Eagles eat fish, waterfowl, small and large mammals, and livestock carrion. Eagles can carry up to four pounds in flight. They kill their prey by grasping it with their strong feet and sharp talons. Eagles fly at up to 44 miles per hour, according to DEP.

Eagles typically care for one to three young birds, with both the male and female incubating the eggs and feeding the young.

Up to 100 eagles spend the winter in Connecticut from December to early March, along major rivers and at large reservoirs, according to DEP.

“For the first time since the 1950s, a pair of bald eagles nested in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, in the summer of 1992 and produced two healthy chicks. The nest site in Barkhamsted continues to be used by a pair of bald eagles. Chicks have also been produced at a new nest site along the Connecticut River in Suffield, starting in 1997. From 1992 to 1998, a total of 12 bald eagle chicks have fledged from Connecticut nests,” according to DEP.

 Bald eagles were declared the American national bird in 1782.