SHENANGO LAKE Eagles spread wings and offspring

Five eaglets were produced out of the two nests this spring.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
CLARK, Pa. -- Two groups of bald eagles that have made the Shenango River Lake their home for the past few years have expanded their families.
James Deniker, a land management officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said the male and female that nested in a manmade platform the past two years were back this year and produced three offspring that left the nest in late June and early July.
It's not uncommon for bald eagles to produce one or even two chicks, but three is something of a rarity, Deniker said.
One immature eagle was seen in the nesting area in late spring and is believed to be one of last year's offspring, Deniker said.
Shenango River Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Protected area
The pole-top nest is in a protected propagation area near the western end of the lake, where people aren't allowed. That's good for eagles, which are easily discouraged from nesting by the presence of humans, he said.
Another pair returned to a nest in a tree they have in the Big Bend area at the eastern end of the lake and are expanding their family as well.
Deniker said the pair produced a single offspring last year but had two eaglets in the nest this spring.
"It's been a really good year down there," Deniker said.
There were also two nests in the Shenango Wildlife Area on the Ohio side of the border this spring, but one of them produced no offspring.
Eaglets grow to nearly full size in just six weeks but lack the distinguished white head that mark mature bald eagles. The young are often mistaken for golden eagles.
They don't take their first flight until about three months of age and remain dependent on their parents for food until they are 5 or 6 months old.
All of the young eagles at Shenango should be mature enough by September to survive on their own, he said.
Eagles' habits
Bald eagles normally return to their birth area as adults to mate and nest.
The eagles stay at the lake long into the winter before migrating south. As long as there is open water, there are plenty of fish for them to feed on and that is their main diet, Deniker said.
It is unusual for bald eagles to nest at manmade sites. They normally build a nest in a tree and expand it every year, Deniker said.
The pair that took over the 30-foot high platform at Shenango had to chase off a pair of Canada geese that were nesting there three years ago.
The platform was originally built as a nesting site for osprey, large brown and white hawks that feed on fish but which are considerably smaller than bald eagles.
Eagles are territorial, but Deniker said Shenango is large enough to support several groups.