After World War II, the population of American bald eagles was devastated by DDT — a pesticide that was put into heavy use to control mosquitoes and other insects.
After DDT was banned in 1972, bald eagles rebounded from 417 breeding pairs in 1963 to more than 11,000 today in the lower 48 states.
Eagles were taken off the federal endangered species list in 2007, but they’re still considered “a species of concern” in many states. And in Connecticut, their status is “threatened,” so sightings there are not all that common.
From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Diane Orson of WNPR brings us the story of one sighting in a busy Connecticut town.
Reporter
- Diane Orson, reporter and producer for WNPR/Connecticut Public Radio. She tweets @dorson1.
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