The S.C. Department of Natural Resources has been monitoring bald eagle populations in the state for 32 years and the population, especially with nesting sites, is definitely on the rise.
In that time, DNR personnel have documented 2,887 nesting attempts and 3,595 fledglings. Recently, some 228 nesting sites were occupied within our borders. This is an astonishing increase over the 13 sites documented in 1977.
The latest count found that South Carolina eagles were averaging 1.25 chicks per nesting attempt.
DNR also continues to participate in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ contiguous 48 states count. This is conducted through aerial surveys of eagle nesting areas and standardized boat surveys of the major waterways of our state.
Totals from the 2007 Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey found 497 adults, 67 immature birds, and two golden eagles. The vast majority of adult birds were found to be breeding pairs.
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