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Despite nest destruction from Hurricane Ian, resilience proved to be the theme of the 2022-23 bald eagle nesting season, according to end-of-season data compiled by the Audubon EagleWatch program.
Typically, when an eagle pair loses a nest, they rebuild in another suitable tree nearby. In the storm’s path, however, suitable trees were also lost. With few other options, many eagle pairs rebuilt their nests in spindly trees with bare branches. According to EagleWatch data, roughly 70 percent of the eagle pairs that lost their nests rebuilt in the same season.
From those rebuilt nests, more than 100 chicks have fledged.
– Marie Gabrielle Patasin, C2 Communications, The SWFL 100
