In the East, eagles' nests are found mostly in Canada and Florida, but eagles migrate through Pennsylvania and some nests do exist within the Commonwealth, including in the Conneaut Marsh region of the French Creek Watershed. The bald eagle's eyesight is extremely keen, five or six times sharper than a human's. A bald eagle mates for life, but will quickly find another mate if a partner dies. A female eagle might lay one, usually two eggs at a time, and both parents incubate. Eggs usually hatch after 35 days.
Eaglets develop feathers within the first month, and begin to fly at three months.
It is estimated that only half of eaglets survive their first year. However, with few natural enemies, an adult bald eagle can survive 30 years or longer in the wild. There are a handful of endangered mammals in Pennsylvania, but none are known to exist within the French Creek Watershed. The river otter, famous for its curious and playful nature, was once a common sight in the French Creek Watershed until habitat loss, water pollution, and excessive hunting and trapping contributed to its decline. Thanks to a number of programs to reintroduce the otter to various areas of Pennsylvania, its numbers are steadily rising.