JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A pure landmark alongside Menoher Boulevard – an oak tree by which two bald eagles nested – was toppled by robust winds this week.
However indicators within the skies point out each birds survived the storm, Pennsylvania Sport Fee officers stated.
Sport Warden April Whitsell stated she spent a number of hours on the Southmont Borough web site after the tree fell, looking the realm for indicators of life.
She discovered the nest and some grownup feathers, however there have been no preliminary indicators of eggs, stays or injured eaglets close by, she added.
The Southmont treetop nest turned a well-liked draw, significantly amongst birding lovers and photographers, ever for the reason that eagles had been first noticed nesting up excessive in 2022 or 2023.
“They’re such a tremendous fowl,” stated Phyllis Terchanik, a Johnstown Digital camera Membership member who has been photographing bald eagles for a decade throughout Cambria County.
Terchanik was happy to listen to the grownup eagles had been nonetheless being noticed within the space – and stated it’s doable that they’ve a number of nests.
From her years taking images of bald eagles at Prince Gallitzin State Park close to Patton, she stated, it’s possible they received’t go far to construct a brand new nest. She recalled one pair that misplaced their nest two years in a row, however rebuilt in the identical outdated tree earlier than it broke in half.
“Why they select one tree over an analogous (and more healthy tree) close by, who is aware of?” she stated. “However they’re stunning to observe.”
Whitsell additionally stated it’s fairly doable the bald eagles will nest close by, given the actual fact the habitat has proven to assist them. They’re opportunists, she stated.
The nest the pair typically occupied close to Menoher Boulevard was as soon as a hawk nest that they modified, Whitsell added. They settled there as a result of the area’s improved waterways are full of fish and different aquatic life they should thrive.
There are additionally a number of different nests throughout the Larger Johnstown space, though usually much less seen or on personal property.
“It’s an important signal for our space,” she stated.
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