Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane in September 2017, just as many Bald Eagles were preparing for the nesting season. Intrepid volunteers ventured out after the storm passed, reporting on the status of approximately 300 nests across the state. Volunteer observations indicated that 37 percent of the nests visited were lost or damaged. As eagles began to rebuild, there were increased reports of other displaced species, like Ospreys and Great Horned Owls, attempting to take over eagle nests. The number of eagle nests taken over by Great Horned Owls this season almost doubled, but eagles are resilient. Our end-of-season data shows that 78 percent of the pairs affected by the hurricane went on to rebuild or relocate and attempted to nest. Most were successful, and the data underlie the incredible persistence of the species.

This story was featured in the EagleWatch 2017-2018 Annual Report. Click here to read the entire report.