McHenry County nest 1 of 5 in state with breeding bald eagles

Bald eagles, once at the brink of extinction, have steadily rebuilt their numbers and are starting to populate more-urban areas of McHenry County and the rest of Chicago’s suburbs.

While the are is not known for eagle habitat, the trend in migration does not surprise local experts, including Kim Compton, who recently discovered an active nest along the Fox River near Barrington.

Compton, who is the education coordinator at the McHenry County Conservation District, was leading a canoe trip to a heron rookery when she spotted a much larger nest in a nearby tree.

“The second adult eagle flew in over our heads to possibly deliver food to the nest, and it spooked other birds in the trees,” Compton said.

At that point, Compton led her group away from the nest to discuss what they had seen. After the trip, she contacted local and state biologists to confirm that the nest belonged to bald eagles. The finding is one of five bald eagle nests considered active for breeding this year in Illinois.

Compton was aware that bald eagles flock to the open water around the Fox River during the winter to search for fish and smaller birds. But she said the nest discovery reassures her that bald eagles are making a comeback and looking toward Chicago as their home.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was first aware in 2004 of bald eagles building nests in and around Chicago, but the raptors did not produce offspring until 2007. Most recent federal data say there are 100 bald eagle pairings are in Illinois, including in Cook, Lake, Will and Boone counties.

Pairings throughout the United States have nearly doubled, to 9,789, since 1995. Such is the comeback of the iconic American symbol, which found itself on the federal endangered species list because of expansion into the American West and, later, the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. With protection by federal laws and a ban on DDT, bald eagles were removed from the endangered list in 2007.

Local experts, such as Compton, said growth in the bald eagle population is forcing the birds to look toward unaccustomed habitats.

Randy Schietzelt, president of the McHenry County Audubon Society, said he has seen an increasing number of bald eagles in areas such as Glacial Park in Ringwood and as far south as Dundee, searching for food around fresh water.

“There weren’t as many bald eagles around in the 1980s; therefore, they picked the best habitat,” Schietzelt said. “But as the numbers go up, there is less habitat available, and they go elsewhere.”

Earlier this year, Chicago police nixed plans to build an outdoor shooting range in far suburban Cook County after officials discovered an eagle’s nest along the Calumet River.

The Chicago area’s proximity to fresh water could explain more bald eagle sightings, but Schietzelt said the species also has become more tolerant of humans and are more open to nesting in populated areas.