Chelsey Lewis

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bald eagles continue their comeback in Wisconsin, with a record 1,695 occupied nests in 2018, according to the Wisconsin Bald Eagle Nest Survey released by the Department of Natural Resources Jan. 8.

That’s the highest number of nests since surveys began in 1973.

Last year brought another record: A nest was spotted in Walworth County for the first time. In 2017, a nest was recorded in Kenosha County for the first time.

"2018 was another great year for the bald eagles' remarkable comeback in Wisconsin," Laura Jaskiewicz, the DNR research scientist who coordinates the statewide aerial survey effort, said in a statement. "The number of nests is still increasing throughout the state, and we now have them documented in 71 of 72 counties."

Milwaukee County remains as the only county without a nest. But don’t write off all hope for a resident eagle there in the future.

“It's certainly not impossible. In areas like the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota, bald eagles are doing quite well and the Minnesota DNR has documented dozens of active nesting territories," Sharon Fandel, a DNR district ecologist with the Natural Heritage Conservation program, said in a statement. "Time will tell if eagles stake their claim in Milwaukee County, but if Minnesota's 'urban' eagle population is any indication, there's certainly a precedence to suggest it could be on the horizon for Milwaukee.”

The 2018 totals are a 6.6% increase from 2017, when the DNR documented a then-record 1,590 occupied nests. When surveys began in 1973, just 108 nests were recorded, and the bald eagle was a federally and state endangered species.

The raptor was taken off the state list in 1997 and the federal list in 2007, but remains a federally protected species under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Vilas and Oneida counties continue to lead the state in recorded nests, with 172 and 154, respectively. The two counties have large concentrations of lakes and tall white pine trees — prime habitat for eagles.

The surveys were conducted by DNR conservation biologists and pilots last March and April. Private citizens also contributed to the survey: The Walworth County nest was first reported by a citizen, then confirmed by Fandel.

"Citizen reports were a big help this past year. There were a handful of reports that helped confirm new nests while other reports identified nests that we didn't know about previously," she said.

January is a good time to eagle watch in Wisconsin, when eagles congregate around open-water areas. The Ferry Bluff Eagle Council hosts Bald Eagle Watching Days Jan. 19-20 along the Wisconsin River in in Prairie du Sac and Sauk City.