Bald eagles rebound in southern Minnesota

Two eagles in a tree
Two eagles sit in a tree. There has been an increase in the bald eagle population.
MPR Photo/Chet Meyers

More bald eagles are being seen in southern Minnesota.

The Department of Natural Resources reports 872 bald eagle nests in Minnesota. That's a 670 percent increase from the number documented in 1973.

Bald eagles are now being seen in the Fairmont area, although it's not clear how many have established nests there. A 2005 nest count showed none in Martin County.

But DNR non-game wildlife specialist Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer says bald eagles have been multiplying exponentially.

The birds spent about five decades on the endangered species list before they were removed in 2007. Their numbers have rebounded from about 500 nesting pairs to an estimated 10,000.

Gelvin-Innvaer says eagles just need tree cover, adequate food supply and some distance from other nesting pairs to do well.

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Information from: Sentinel, http://www.fairmontsentinel.com