RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Bald eagles are back in record numbers along the James River, decades after they almost disappeared. Aerial surveys in March and April show that 236 pairs of eagles produced 313 young this spring. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that as recently as 2000, there were just 56 eagle pairs in the James River region. In the mid-1970s, the majestic birds were nearly wiped out by pesticide pollution. Eagle expert Bryan Watts says the 236 pairs probably are the most along the James since Colonial times. He says the increase in their numbers in the past 15 years is “just mind-blowing.” Moreover, for the first time in modern history, three pairs of eagles nested this year in Richmond. The survey found 51 nests in Charles City County alone.
