Bald Eagle Nest Productivity and Contaminant Monitoring at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland

Bald Eagles were monitored at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland in compliance with a 2007 Biological Opinion prepared by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Eagle nests were surveyed for breeding activity and productivity using a standard 2‐flight protocol. A Cessna 172 aircraft was used to systematically survey the property to locate eagle nests and determine nesting activity. Nests were climbed with arborist equipment or accessed with a bucket truck. Eagle nestlings were banded and measured. Blood and feather samples were collected from 18 nestlings to test for Encephalitis viruses and mercury and organochloride contaminants. One addled egg was collected for contaminant testing. Nine nests were active during the 2008 breeding season. Productivity rates were estimated at 2.0 chicks/active nest (nest observed with eggs or chicks) and 2.25 chicks/productive nest (chicks reached fledging age). All nestlings tested negative for encephalitis viruses including West Nile Virus. Mercury levels were subacute in blood ( x = 0.05 mg/kg) and feathers ( x =1.22 mg/kg). The single addled egg had a mercury value of 0.09 mg/kg. Contaminant levels in blood were also subacute for total PCBs ( x = 0.044 μg/g), total Chlordane ( x = 0.010 μg/g), and DDE ( x = 0.013 μg/g). Values for the addled egg approached toxicity thresholds for PCBs and DDE. Productivity rates were not significantly higher at Indian Head than at nearby Virginia nests along the Potomac River. Forty‐four percent fledged 3 chick broods indicating high prey‐availability on the Upper Potomac and on Mattawoman Creek. All contaminant levels were low in nestling blood and feathers. High levels of PCB and DDE contaminants likely contributed to reproductive failure at the Extrusion nest but results are inconclusive. High levels of these contaminants are present in nearby foraging areas along the Potomac River with point and non‐point source contamination documented upstream of NSF Indian Head

Bald Eagle Telemetry at the Holtwood Redevelopment Project

The Holtwood Dam is located on the lower Susquehanna River between York and Lancaster Counties, PA, 1.5km upstream from the Rt 372 Bridge (Figure 1). The area around the dam is known to support two breeding pairs (Kleinschmidt pers. comm.). PPL Holtwood LLC (PPL) is currently redeveloping the Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant which includes blasting activities within the construction zone. In consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC),PPL developed a management and monitoring plan prior to initiating construction to minimize the effects of blasting noise on the two eagle pairs. A federal eagle take permit was issued in 2012 after eagles at the nesting territory on Piney Island were observed flushing after two blasting events. A condition of the take permit required PPL to conduct a telemetry project to study the movements of bald eagles using the habitat near the dam to nest and forage. The original goal of the study was to deploy transmitters on eagles at the Piney Island nest with the Holtwood nest as an alternative. In early April 2012, the breeding attempt at the Piney Island nest failed and this project focused solely on the eagles at the Holtwood Dam nest

Bald Eagle Nest Productivity and Contaminant Monitoring at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland: Final Report

Bald Eagles were monitored at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland in compliance with a 2007 Biological Opinion prepared by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Eagle nests were surveyed for breeding activity and productivity using a standard 2‐flight protocol. A Cessna 172 aircraft was used to systematically survey the property to locate eagle nests and determine nesting activity. Active nests were climbed with arborist equipment or accessed with a bucket truck. Forty‐nine Eagle nestlings were banded and measured. Blood and feather samples were collected from nestlings from 2008‐2010 to test for West Nile virus, mercury, heavy metals, PCB, and organochloride contaminants. Two addled eggs were collected for contaminant testing. Ten breeding territories were active during the 2008 ‐ 2010 breeding seasons. Productivity was 1.8 chicks/active nest (nest observed with eggs or chicks) and 2.07 chicks/productive nest (chicks reached fledging age). Two nestlings tested positive for exposure to West Nile Virus in 2009 but did not show signs of recent infection. Mercury levels were subacute in blood (ẍ = 0.04 mg/kg, n= 48) and feathers (x̄ = 1.24 mg/kg, n= 48). Contaminant levels in blood were also subacute for total PCBs (x̄ = 0.039 μg/g, n = 48), total Chlordane (x̄ = 0.006 μg/g, n= 48), and total DDT (x̄ = 0.011 μg/g, n= 48). The addled eggs had a mercury concentration of 0.07 mg/kg and 0.09 mg/kg, PCB levels of 18 ppm, and DDE of 3.7 and 5.6 ppm. Values for the addled eggs approached toxicity thresholds for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). Productivity rates recorded for pairs nesting on Indian Head were not significantly different from nests monitored along the Virginia portion of the Potomac River. A snow storm in early March 2009 caused widespread nest failures along the Potomac River including the Indian Head nests at Burn Point and Building 1569. All contaminant levels were low in nestling blood and feathers. High levels of PCB and DDE contaminants likely contributed to reproductive failure of the addled eggs at the Biazzi and Extrusion nests. High levels of these contaminants are present in nearby foraging areas along the Potomac River with point and non‐point source contamination documented upstream of NSF Indian Head. Two electrocutions occurred on NSF Indian Head during the study period. The breeding female at Burn Point was found dead during the 2008 breeding season after colliding with a powerline. The second electrocution occurred when a recently fledged chick from the 2009 Biazzi nest landed on an unprotected power pole approximately 730m from the nest

Monitoring Report for Bald Eagles at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, MD: 2011 Report

Under Migratory Bird permit MB207511-1, a Bald Eagle nest was removed in the non-breeding season (10/9/2009) from the construction site of a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP), in Calvert County, Maryland. This report fulfills the final annual monitoring reporting requirement of the permit which expired in March 2012

Holtwood Dam project final report

The Holtwood Dam is located on the lower Susquehanna River between York and Lancaster Counties, PA, 1.5km upstream from the Rt 372 Bridge (Figure 1). The area around the dam is known to support two breeding pairs (Kleinschmidt pers. comm.). PPL Holtwood LLC (PPL has completed redeveloping the Holtwood Hydroelectric Plant which included blasting activities within the construction zone from January 2010 through June 2013. In consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC),PPL developed a management and monitoring plan prior to initiating construction to minimize the effects of blasting noise on the two eagle pairs. A federal eagle take permit was issued in 2012 after eagles at the nesting territory on Piney Island were observed flushing after two blasting events. A condition of the take permit required PPL to conduct a telemetry project to study the movements of bald eagles using the habitat near the dam to nest and forage. The original goal of the study was to deploy transmitters on eagles at the Piney Island nest with the Holtwood nest as an alternative. In early April 2012, the breeding attempt at the Piney Island nest failed and this project focused solely on the eagles at the Holtwood Dam nest. OBJECTIVES 1. Deploy transmitters on two bald eagles near the Holtwood Dam 2. Use tracking data to support management of eagles at Holtwood during redevelopment activitie

Environmental Contaminants in Blood, Feathers, and Eggs of Bald Eagles on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland in 2008

Intro and Objectives: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) populations across the lower 48 states have rebounded from 417 breeding pairs in 1963 (Sprunt 1963) to an estimated 5,478 in 1998 (Millar 1999). The Chesapeake Bay population grew exponentially from 73 pairs in 1977 to 601 pairs in 2001 (Watts et al. 2008). The population has continued to grow and now is estimated at over 1,000 breeding pairs (Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2004, Watts and Byrd 2008). The recovery of eagle populations throughout most of their range prompted the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to remove the species from the Endangered Species List in 2007 (USFWS 2007, Watts and Byrd 2008). Eagles remain protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Lacey Act (Millar 1999). Although breeding populations have recovered, many threats continue to affect breeding and non‐breeding eagles. Current threats include electrocutions, line strikes, disease, contaminants, habitat loss, and vehicle collisions (Millar 1999, Millsap et al. 2004). Concern over Bald Eagle deaths related to the electrical infrastructure at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) prompted a Biological Assessment (BA) of the species under the Endangered Species Act in 2004. As a result of recommendations in the BA, the Army contracted with The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary to study the mortality problems at APG. APG manufactures, stores, and tests chemicals during military programs. Improper disposal of these chemicals in the past has led to the presence of contaminants in the soil and water on base. APG is actively cleaning up contaminated sites through the federal Superfund program but many contaminants continue to persist in the environment. Bioaccumulation of contaminants in Bald Eagles can reduce productivity and hatching rates and cause death by poisoning (Henny & Elliott 2007). In spring 2008, CCB biologists conducted a preliminary study of contaminants in APG eagles while visiting eagle nests on base. Objectives: 1) To determine mercury, pesticide, and PCB contaminant levels in nestling eagles, and 2) To determine contaminant levels in adult females by testing levels in non‐viable eggs

Virginia Peregrine Falcon monitoring and management program: Year 2015 report

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was believed to be extirpated as a breeding species in Virginia by the early 1960s. An aggressive restoration program was initiated in 1978 that included the release of 115 captive-reared birds on the Coastal Plain (1978-1985) and 127 birds in the mountains (1985-1993). This program resulted in the first breeding of the modern era in 1982. Since this time, the population has proceeded through a rapid establishment phase followed by a consolidation phase. However, more than 95% of all breeding activity over the past 30 years has occurred on the Coastal Plain with very limited breeding within the historic mountain range. Since 2000 a dedicated translocation program has moved more than 245 birds from eyries on the coast to hack sites in the mountains in an effort to restore the mountain breeding population. Restoration of the breeding population in the mountains continues to be a management priority for the state. In 2015, Virginia supported a known falcon population of 26 breeding pairs including 23 within the Coastal Plain, 1 in the Piedmont and 2 in the mountains. This represents the third consecutive year that the population has exceeded 25 breeding pairs. New breeding territories were documented on a smoke stack within a power station and on a building within an urban area. Four territories that have supported pairs in recent years were not occupied in 2015. The population achieved an overall success rate of 80.7% producing 56 young to banding age. The reproductive rate was 2.15 young/occupied territory which is above the level required for population maintenance. The population continues to benefit from the efforts of a large community of agencies, corporations and individuals. Efforts continued in 2015 to identify breeding adults via field-readable bands to better understand dispersal and demography throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Eighteen adults within Virginia were identified including 10 females and 8 males. Birds varied in age from 2 to 15 years. Of the 14 birds where hatching location could be determined, 9 originated in Virginia, 4 originated in New Jersey and 1 originated in Maryland. Five birds that were banded as nestlings in Virginia were identified on breeding territories in other states including 2 in Pennsylvania and 3 in New Jersey. Efforts to identify marked peregrines should continue since these birds are contributing to our understanding of effective population size and regional management