In Massachusetts, a 'Really Exciting' Bald Eagle Nest

For the first time in 115 years, a bald eagle nest with eggs has been spotted on Cape Cod. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has reported a "dramatic uptick" in active bald eagle nests this spring, with more than 70 seen across the state, reports CNN. Nine of those are new, including one in Barnstable County on Cape Cod, which last saw such a nest in the town of Sandwich in 1905, reports WCVB. MassWildlife rep Marion Larson says it's a "really exciting" discovery considering no bald eagles were seen in the state from 1905 to 1982, when several eagles were found wintering near the Quabbin Reservoir, some 90 miles west of Boston, per the Boston Globe.

More eagles were brought in from Michigan and Canada before a nest finally appeared in 1989. As of 2019, more than 845 chicks were thought to have been born in the area from that time. Larson says bald eagles usually return to the same nest each year but occasionally find a new spot to roost. One that hatched at the Quabbin Reservoir in 1997 migrated to New Hampshire, where it recently became the oldest bald eagle recorded in that state, per the Globe. The first known bald eagle nest on Martha's Vineyard was also recorded this spring. The nesting pair took over an osprey nest but accidentally destroyed the eggs while trying to defend it, MassWildlife said. (More bald eagle stories.)