First Eagle Hatching On Santa Cruz Island In 50 Years - MSNBC

[hatrack]

LOS ANGELES - For the first time in more than 50 years, a pair of bald eagles hatched a chick on Santa Cruz Island, wildlife biologists said Thursday.

The fluffy chick came out of its shell Wednesday afternoon about 35 days after the egg was discovered on the island off Southern California. Scientists say the successful breeding marked a significant milestone in their four-year effort to reintroduce the eagles to the island.

"It's such an incredible event," said David Garcelon, president of the Institute for Wildlife Studies. "For the first time in 50 years they did it themselves. It's a new age for the islands."

He had another reason to celebrate Thursday: a second nest was recently found on the island. A female eagle has been observed sitting on it since March 28, possibly guarding an egg. The last known successful nesting of a bald eagle on the four northern Channel Islands was in 1949 on Anacapa Island.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12309181/

[babylonsister]

1. OMG! Good news?!?!?!?!?!

:thumbsup:

[chaumont58]

2. That is great

I used to live in Ventura County, and had a sail boat in Channel Islands Marina. I never made it to Santa Cruz Island, or even Annacapa(sp?). I hope those islands can remain at least a little pristine.

[xultar]

3. YEA!!!!

[XemaSab]

4. I was there a couple weeks ago and saw the nest from the ferry!

This is good to hear! :bounce:

[Oerdin]

5. This is good news for several reasons.

Historically the Bald Eagle was the big alpha preditor in the Channal Island National Park however the use of DDT ran the Island eagles out of existance (they ate contaminated fish and could no longer reproduce) so a type of hawk moved in to the open niche. The problem is the hawks ate things like rabbits instead of fish and when the rabbits were hard to come by they started eatting the endangered Channal Island Kit Fox (a dwarf island fox about the size of a house cat). The eagles tend to be very territorial and hopefully will drive out the hawks which have been preying on the endangered kit foxes.