The bald eagle was in serious trouble in the 1960s. Only about 400 nesting pairs remained in the lower 48 states, and Louisiana counted as few as five breeding pairs. The pesticide DDT was thinning eggshells, causing nests to fail year after year. Once DDT was banned and the Endangered Species Act took effect, the birds slowly recovered. They came off the endangered list in 2007, and by 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated the national population had passed 300,000, roughly four times the 2010 figure.
Louisiana played a role in that turnaround. State surveys now show several hundred eagle nests, and tour operators near Morgan City report spotting up to 60 eagles in a single outing. Eagles nest here in winter and spring, with eaglets hatching by January or February, making the coming months prime viewing season for anyone willing to get out on the water.
The story isn’t over. Conservationists like Seth Blitch of the Nature Conservancy point to coastal land loss in south Louisiana as an ongoing threat to eagle habitat. Still, a bird that once nearly vanished from the state is now a routine sighting. That’s a rare thing in conservation news. Have you ever seen a bald eagle in the wild? Tell us where.
