The return of the distinctive white-crowned birds to the heavily populated portions of the Peninsula is only a snapshot of the resurgence of eagles around the Chesapeake Bay and nationwide in the past decade. It's not just a tree-hugging thing.
People like to see eagles.
They like to know they're here. In all, there were 55 active nests along the James River east of Hopewell, and another 30 along the York River. Between the two adults in each nest and the young they spawned, there were at least 313 bald eagles along the rivers that form the Peninsula. In the summer, when eagles migrate from the south, the lower James River is home to the largest eagle population east of the Mississippi River, Watts said. Scientists say it represents hope, if not proof, of a general revival of the environment.