Two bald eagle hatchlings have been discovered in a Chicago park, marking what city officials believe is the first successful wild breeding of the species in over a century. Chicago Park District reported that bird-watchers noted nesting activity beginning in February at Park 597 along the Calumet River on the city’s Southeast Side. The first eaglet was seen on April 28, and a second was confirmed on May 7. According to Irene Tostado, a park district spokesperson, the eaglets seem to be between two and three weeks old.
Pat Pearson and her husband, Steve, found the first eaglet. “We started looking around, and lo and behold, this little fuzzy head sticks up with a big beak, and we were just ecstatic. Patty actually broke into tears. I started crying,” Steve Pearson recounted. “The wonder and awe of seeing these eagles in Chicago with a baby were overwhelming.”
The bald eagle population suffered greatly in the latter half of the 20th century due to habitat degradation and insecticide contamination. Over the last 40 years, the bird has seen a remarkable recovery. It was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. Although bald eagles are not rare in the Chicago area, with a dozen spotted in one day in the wetlands of Big Marsh Park in 2018, Stephen Bell, who oversees Park 597, mentioned that no successful eaglet hatching in Chicago had been recorded in over 100 years.
Park 597, once a city water treatment plant, was taken over by the park district in 2019. Efforts to restore the habitat have included soil improvements, upgraded vegetation, and enhancements for amphibians and reptiles, attracting various wildlife, including eagles. Pat Pearson noted the renewed environment’s success: “Give Mother Nature a chance and you’d be surprised what she can do with just a little help from the park district and the city of Chicago. Neither could have done it alone, but together, they have transformed land once thought unredeemable.”
Richmond reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press photographer Erin Hooley contributed.