Bald eagle spotted in Wallaceburg

A local photographer was thrilled to spot and snap photos of a bald eagle on Thursday, December 21, right around the corner from her house in Wallaceburg.

Gale Cook told the Sydenham Current she goes out multiple times a week to take photos of local wildlife.

“We’ve been up to Rondeau, Grand Bend… we’ve been all over,” Cook said.

“We’ve been that far in the last couple of weeks looking for an eagle, and here is one right down around the corner from me. Who would have thought.”

Cook said the bird was sitting in a tree overlooking the Sydenham River on Nelson Street near Mount Pleasant, where she lives.

“Eagles are the most beautiful birds around here,” Cook said.

“I know I’m not going to see them all the time.”

The bald eagle is a species at risk in Ontario, and is listed as a ‘special concern’, which means the species lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Here is some more details about bald eagles from the province of Ontario:

Where it lives

Bald Eagles nest in a variety of habitats and forest types, almost always near a major lake or river where they do most of their hunting. While fish are their main source of food, Bald Eagles can easily catch prey up to the size of ducks, and frequently feed on dead animals, including White-tailed Deer. They usually nest in large trees such as pine and poplar. During the winter, Bald Eagles sometimes congregate near open water such as the St. Lawrence River, or in places with a high deer population where carcasses might be found.

Where it’s been found in Ontario

Bald Eagles are widely distributed throughout North America. In Ontario, they nest throughout the north, with the highest density in the northwest near Lake of the Woods. Historically they were also relatively common in southern Ontario, especially along the shore of Lake Erie, but this population was all but wiped out 50 years ago. After an intensive re-introduction program and environmental clean-up efforts, the species has rebounded and can once again be seen in much of its former southern Ontario range.

What threatens it

Historically Bald Eagles were shot as pests or trophies, and many shoreline areas where they bred were developed for housing or industry. Their largest decline came with the introduction of pesticides such as DDT that resulted in thin egg shells that broke as the adults tended to them. Although most of these threats have been reduced or eliminated, current Bald Eagle populations are impacted by the continued development of shoreline habitat and pollution.

– Photo credit: Gale Cook