While sightings of the majestic birds are common in Warren County as bald eagles often migrate along the Little Miami River in the spring and fall, this is the first time a pair has been confirmed to be nesting, said Kathy Garza-Behr, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.
The pair have built their nest on top of a former blue heron’s nest. The eagles are about four years old and don’t appear to be banded.
ODNR officials have not been able to confirm if the pair are incubating any eggs, but one of the birds could be found flying around the nest last week as the other one was perched. Bald eagles lay between one and three eggs between the end of February and early April.
Southwest Ohio has seen a spike in bald eagles found nesting. In addition to the nests in Butler and Warren counties, Garza-Behr said two have been recorded in both Montgomery and Mercer counties and one each in Hamilton, Brown and Highland counties.
There were only four eagle pairs documented in Ohio in the 1970s, but according to ODNR there are now hundreds, mostly near Lake Erie.