Bird watchers working for the New Hampshire Audubon have spotted the first bald eagle chicks hatched in the Merrimack River Valley in decades.
The furry, brown eaglets are in two nests along the Merrimack. The pairs in Manchester and in Nashua are located in naturally isolated habitats surprisingly close to the bustle of the state’s two biggest cities.
“Somehow in the busy mix of the Merrimack River Valley they find little spots where they can go about their business largely undetected.”
Chris Martin is a senior biologist with the New Hampshire Audubon Society. He says the eaglets were first spotted in late April. They’re in a tree where biologists had placed a man-made nest. Martin says the eagles had constructed their own nest about eight feet higher.
12 years ago, transportation engineers redrew the Ray Wieczorek airport access road when eagles were spotted along the original route. More than 30 eagles were born in the state last year. Martin expects this year’s numbers will break that record.