For the first time ever, the midyear inventory released annually by the Pennsylvania Game Commission shows a decrease in the number of bald-eagle nests reported statewide.

Does the total suggest eagle populations are hurting?Far from it, the experts say.But with staffing cuts at the Game Commission leading to reduced observations, and the public less likely to report nesting activity as bald eagles become more plentiful, 239 bald-eagle nests - a decrease of 38 nests - have been reported so far in 2016."In no way do we believe this decreased reported number represents a decline in the bald-eagle population," said Dan Brauning, who heads up the Game Commission's wildlife diversity division. "Eagles are doing fine. They continue to thrive and expand into new areas, and the inventory shows that."But as our field and region staff take on an increased workload due to budget-driven staffing cuts, we are forced to place lower priority on documenting nests," Brauning said. "While we're certainly still interested in learning of new nests, and urge the public to report them, knowing nesting locations and nest productivity is harder today than it was in the days following bald-eagle reintroduction, or in the years when the bald eagle remained on the endangered- or threatened-species lists. There are many pressing responsibilities that require the attention of staff."Aside from the impacts staffing cuts have had on reporting, Patti Barber, a biologist with the Game Commission's endangered and nongame birds section, said the lower midyear number also could be a consequence of so many eagles being out there.Many of the reports within the inventory come from citizens, and as bald eagles become more abundant and less of a novelty, fewer reports are bound to come in. Previously counted eagle pairs that relocate to a new nesting site sometimes are missed in the inventory. Even when their new nest tree is somewhere nearby, it might go unnoticed or unreported, especially if it's off the beaten path. And new pairs of eagles that nest between existing pairs often are mistaken as one or the other existing pairs, and not recognized as a new pair.Barber said people can help ensure bald-eagle nests aren't missed in the inventory. Even nests that have been reported in previous years should be reported again if they were active this year.To report a nest, contact the Game Commission through its public comments email address,

pgccomments@pa.gov, and use the words "Eagle Nest Information" in the subject field. Reports also can be phoned in to a Game Commission region office, or the Harrisburg headquarters.Despite its lower bottom line, the 2016 midyear inventory provides evidence of an expanding bald-eagle population. Of the 239 nests reported, 16 have been documented in newly established territories."From everything we hear and see, Pennsylvania's bald eagles continue to thrive, exceeding our expectations and the numbers we can effectively monitor," Barber said. "It's a good problem to have."Once a shortageOver the course of several decades, bald-eagle populations in Pennsylvania and nationwide were decimated by the effects of water pollution, persecution and compromised nest success caused by organochlorine pesticides such as DDT. Before the Game Commission reintroducing the bald eagle to Pennsylvania in 1983, only three bald-eagle nests statewide were known to exist - all of them in Crawford County, in the northwestern corner of the state.Over the next seven years, 88 bald-eagle chicks were taken from nests in Saskatchewan, Canada, and brought to Pennsylvania where they were "hacked," a process by which the eaglets were raised by humans, but without knowing it, then released into the wild.By 1998, Pennsylvania was home to 25 pairs of nesting bald eagles. By 2006, more than 100 nests were confirmed statewide.The Game Commission's midyear report eclipsed the 200-nest mark in 2011. The number then jumped to 252 nests in 2013, and a record 277 last year.So far in 2016, bald-eagle nests have been documented in 56 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said the numbers tell the story of the bald eagle's success, and that story is one worth celebrating."Many of us grew up in a world that mostly was devoid of eagles, and one where it wasn't at all clear whether our national bird would continue to survive," Hough said. "Who could have predicted then that, in our lifetime, we'd see the eagle population rebound to the point where sightings are common, and more people than ever are enjoying Pennsylvania's eagles?