The bald eagle has been our national symbol since the Continental Congress first adopted the design for the Great Seal of the United States, six years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But it wasn’t officially designated as our national bird until 2024.
By 1979, there were only four nesting pairs of bald eagles left in the Buckeye State, their numbers having been decimated by poisonous chemicals accumulating in the environment, mostly DDT.
One of the largest bald eagle nests ever discovered was the Great Nest, located near Vermilion in the early 20th century. By 1979, however, there were only four nesting pairs of bald eagles left in the Buckeye State, their numbers having been decimated by poisonous chemicals accumulating in the environment, mostly DDT. Once those chemicals were outlawed, the eagle population soared to recovery, and Ohio now boasts nearly 1,000 nests (not including the replica, pictured in the gallery above, on display at the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area near Toledo), and bald eagles were removed from the “threatened” list in 2007. Intrepid birders, in fact, can now find nests in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties. These days, the majestic eagles are threatened more by other birds protecting their territories (such as the red-winged blackbird pictured in the gallery above) than by humans.
