THE BACK STORY
It has been decades since bald eagles nested on the Great Lakes. In fact, by the early 1980s, mostly as a result of widespread use of the pesticide DDT, there were only four active nests in all of the Great Lakes. That equals approximately 15 surviving birds. The species was all but locally extinct.

Nowadays, with the effects of DDT behind us — it was banned in the early 1970s — and with serious conservation efforts, the bald eagle has made a comeback. There are now 31 active nests on the Great Lakes, and another 30 on lakes north of 49th parallel. But not a single nest on Lake Ontario. Until now, we hope.

Several bald eagles have overwintered in Cootes Paradise at Royal Botanical Gardens in the last few years. This year a pair stayed for the entire summer — which leads conservation staff to believe that the time is right for a pair to settle in and call Cootes their own. This means they’ll find a nest, lay eggs, raise young and become a highly visible and inspirational symbol of why we need to think green and save the environment for generations to come.

Royal Botanical Gardens has the perfect environment to convince the bald eagles to settle in and become the first pair on Lake Ontario. Bald eagles need 260 hectares of woods to hunt in, plus an adjacent 30 hectares of wetlands to allow them to catch fish. We have it all right here.



A ROOM WITH A VIEW
In March, conservation staff built a platform in a 100-foot-tall pine in the hopes that the eagles would make the space their own, modify it into a full-fleged aerie, move in, set up house and raise a family.

After all that, the eagles picked a tree two doors over and built their own pad. Go figure. Still the main thing is they’re nesting, and we hope that leads to the next logical step.

To see our bald eagles from a distance that doesn’t disturb them, travel to the Arboretum and Nature Sanctuary, located on the north shore of Cootes Paradise Marsh. Observation points include Bull’s Point Tower, George North Tower, and the Marsh Boardwalk. Trail maps area available at the Nature Center and the RBG Centre.

Story in The Hamilton Spectator

Links
Environment Canada
Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project

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What are eagles looking for?
• A large body of water, usually a marsh larger than 30 hectares, to supply them with fish, birds and other small mammals to eat

• A relatively large patch of undisturbed mature forest (large trees) in which to nest within 0.5 km of the hunting area and at least 0.5 km from people

• A large patch of woodland in which to rest and shelter during the non nesting season. A minimum of 260 hectares of woodland is suggested as a base by the experts

What is RBG doing?
• Continuing with our wetland restoration program Project Paradise to ensure suitable hunting grounds exist in this 250 hectare marsh

• Strike a better balance between visitor access and wild spaces. This means modifying our trail network (Hopkins Loop and Grey Doe Trails) to ensure that adequate undisturbed forest exist while ensuring visitors the opportunity to experience wildlife in adjacent areas

• Erect the beginnings of a bald eagle nest in very large White Pine tree in an isolated area on the north shore of Cootes Paradise

Supporting RBG
• Become a member or donate to Gardens’ through campaigns such as Protecting Paradise

• Support the trail realignments for the undisturbed forest to allow for eagle nesting and resting.