To celebrate a milestone in a species recovery, the folks at NOAA’s Montrose Settlement’s Restoration Project are looking for a perfect name for the 100th naturally-hatched bald eagle chick that will fledge on the Channel Islands.
The birds are the subject of a popular live webcam that’s been recording the eagle’s life from egg to fluff ball to majestic bird of prey.
In the 1980s, the number of eagle plummeted because of exposure to DDT which caused their eggs to have thin shells that quickly cracked. Since 1989, biologists have been incubating eggs in a facility and then fostering the chick back into nests.
But in 2006, biologists decided to see if egg shells were naturally thick enough to support young life – and indeed, the first bald eagle hatched the good old fashioned way – the first time in 50 years.
To submit names and to learn more about bald eagles on the Channel Islands, visit here.
