Hamilton Botanical Gardens home to first Lake-Ontario born bald eagles in years
Posted March 25, 2013 11:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton are now home to the first Lake-Ontario born bald eagles in Canada in decades.
After several years of nesting attempts, the pair of bald eagles at the gardens’ nature sanctuary at Cootes Paradise have managed to hatch young.
The first eaglet was spotted on March 22, 2013, with a second eaglet being noted a day later on March 23.
Officials have been monitoring the nest weekly from a nearby trail since the couple was first spotted on the nest in February.
“This milestone is a testament to the restoration efforts of Project Paradise,” said RBG’s Head of Natural Lands, Tys Theysmeyer. “As we bring Cootes Paradise back to the condition it was in before the 20th century, species that once called this area their home will continue to return.”
Since 2009 the young eagle couple had been seen testing their nest-building skills.
The hatching is a big deal due to the rarity of bald eagles and the struggles their population had in the early 80’s.
The widespread use of the pesticide DDT threatened the eagle population, and at one point there were only four active nests in all of the Great Lakes.
There are now 31 nests around the Great Lakes, but until now there had not been a single active nest on Lake Ontario.
Officials are not sure if there are more eggs in the nest waiting to hatch.
