Eagles hatch at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

The United State Fish and Wildlife Service, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge announces that bald eagles have successfully hatched young at the refuge.

Refuge Manager Dan Severson, stated that “it really exciting to have a pair of bald eagles, who were once listed as an endangered species, successfully nesting on the refuge.  We have been waiting for confirmation of young to release this information to the public.” 

Bald eagles were listed on the endangered species list in 1967 and are considered a success story. They were delisted on June 28, 2007 and in 2008 in Kansas 32 nesting pairs of eagles were located.

Although bald eagles commonly winter at Quivira, this is only the second year they have been recorded nesting at the refuge. In 2009, eagles built a nest, but did not rear any young. 

In 2010, an eagle was first observed at the same nest in late January.  By late March, one adult was apparently incubating eggs.  On April 3, a wildfire occurred in the area, and refuge fire personnel back-burned the area under the nest tree to prevent a larger fire from burning through the nest zone.  An adult eagle was observed on the nest the next day.  As early as April 18, Refuge staff suspected that young were in the nest; this was confirmed on May 3.

Typically, bald eagles lay 1 to 3 eggs, and incubate for an average of 35 days.  The hatchlings are gray in color, and may take up to 10 to 13 weeks after hatching to be able to fly.  After first flight, they may still hang around the nest for over a month.  Eagles take up to five years to be mature enough to breed.

The eagle nest has resulted in a temporary closure of some public access areas at Quivira. The closures encompass lands north of 140th St between 120th Ave and 110th Ave. and south of the Big Salt Marsh. The closures are to provide additional protection to the nesting pair of eagles. Signs are posted prohibiting all entry. This closure is established under the provisions outlined in 50 CFR 36.42.

The temporary closure will remain in effect until it has been determined that the eagles have fledged the nest. According to Refuge Manager Severson, the closure is consistent with agency guidelines established to protect bald eagles during the nesting period. Nesting eagles can be particularly sensitive to disturbance which can lead to them abandoning their nest.  Visitors may view the eagle nest from the Artesian Well along 140th Street, looking north.    

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.