CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The remarkable recovery of bald eagles in Ohio has reached a new milestone with the discovery of the first active nest in Cleveland in more than a century.

The nest is located in the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, a narrow stretch of green space situated in the heart of the city's industrial valley, amid factories, highways and landfills.

The nest was first discovered last year when Karen Lakus, an historical interpreter for the Cleveland Metroparks, noticed a pair of eagles carrying sticks into the limbs of a tall cottonwood tree on a bluff above the Cuyahoga River.

Lakus and Jo Ann Kubicki, an information specialist at the nearby CanalWay Visitor Center, continued to monitor the nest-building during the winter months, and recently watched as the eagles began roosting on the nest and engaging in courtship activity, although egg-laying has not occurred.

The eagle nest is a symbol of resilience, according to Wendy Weirich, the Metroparks' director of Outdoor Experiences.

A bald eagle perches near its nest Tuesday in the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation. The eagle nest is the first in Cleveland in more than a century.

"Look at where these birds have chosen to build their nest, not that far from where the debris on the river caught fire nearly 50 years ago in 1969," Weirich said.

Harvey Webster, the chief wildlife officer and museum ambassador at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, said he was thrilled at the discovery, but not surprised.

"These are amazing times," Webster said. "Eagles have proven themselves to be so adaptable and opportunistic to the point where they can thrive in the world of human activity. It seems the human landscape is an ideal habitat for eagles to exist in, just look how far they've come."

The bald eagle's return from the brink of extinction can be traced to 1979, when there were only four nesting pairs in Ohio. With the banning of the pesticide DDT, the cleansing of the environment and expanded habitat, the eagles have thrived to where surveys found an estimated 221 nesting pairs in Ohio last year. Those birds produced an estimated 312 young eagles, slightly fewer than the 327 in 2016.

Eagle sightings are now common in Northeast Ohio. Other nests have been found in Eastlake, at the Mentor Marsh, in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Brecksville, at the Rocky River Reservation, the Sandy Ridge Reservation in North Ridgeville, at Chippewa Lake, Lake Rockwell in Kent, Avon Lake, and at the Bath Nature Preserve.

The new bald eagle nest can be viewed from the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, about one mile south of the Harvard Road Traihead parking area, near a large power line base. The nest is on the opposite - west - bank of the river and until trees leaf out in the spring, trail users have a good view of the nest and eagle activity.

Around this time of the late winter, eagles typically lay from one to three eggs, and incubate them for approximately 35 days. The eggs are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, so the adults must remain on the nest constantly - thus the need to protect against human disturbances.

The nest at the Pinery Narrows swamp in the national park has been active since 2006, and marked the first pair of the once-endangered raptors to nest in the Cuyahoga Valley in 70 years. Fourteen eaglets have hatched there since 2007.

They're back again this year, and national park officials have closed access to the area surrounding the nest tree to protect the eagles from human disturbance until the end of July.

Close-in access to the Ohio & Erie Canal nest is limited by the Cuyahoga River on one side, and privately owned woodlands on the other side. But until the trees leaf out, the nest should be easily viewable from the Towpath Trail with the aid of binoculars or a spotting scope.

Visitors are advised to park at the Harvard Road Trailhead and walk south on the Towpath for about one half mile. The nest is on the west side of the river.

Weirich said plans already are being discussed to set up scopes at the best nest-viewing sites on the Towpath after the egg-laying and incubation commences. She's not worried about them being disturbed by groups of bird-watchers, and actually will encourage observers to visit the location.

"Like any true Clevelander, they're going to be fine," Weirich said. "They won't need us to baby them. We can't hurt them."