Bald Eagle Nesting Platform

Rondeau Bay is located on a major raptor (hawk and eagle) migratory route. In addition, nesting Bald Eagles within Rondeau Park are successfully fledging young which may return to the vicinity to establish their own nests.

On May 29th, 1997, a Bald Eagle nesting platform was installed in a private sanctuary at the north end of Rondeau Bay. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' (OMNR's) Community Wildlife Involvement Program provided funding for the purchase of a 60 foot hydro pole and 3 guy wires to support the platform. Ontario Hydro provided these materials at cost and donated their equipment and time to install the platform and pole assembly. Construction details and the specific location of the platform on the property were finalized during on-site visits by OMNR and the Hawk Cliff Raptor Banding Station. Arrangements have been made for monitoring and access to nests for the purpose of banding chicks, collecting blood samples for genetic testing and contaminant sampling of addled eggs.

Historically it is believed that there were one pair of nesting Bald Eagles for every mile of shoreline between Port Stanley and Point Pelee. Bald Eagle declines in the early 1800s were initially as a result of habitat loss and large scale persecution by man. Government legislation protecting this species was partly responsible for its significant recovery between the early 1900s and 1945. Population declines however were evident again by the 1950s with the introduction of the widespread use of toxic chemicals. Persistence of these chemicals in the food chain and their accumulation in high levels in the tissues of predators such as the Bald Eagle resulted in crossed bills and eggshell thinning which hindered reproduction. By 1980, only three pairs were found in southern Ontario along Lake Erie's shore and these birds were not successfully raising young. In 1973, the Bald Eagle was placed on the Ontario Endangered Species list. Since that time, the banning of DDT along with other initiatives have begun to clean up our Great Lakes and the Eagles have begun a slow recovery. The placement of this platform is aimed at aiding this species in their recovery by providing a nesting area in this otherwise suitable location adjacent to both Rondeau Bay and Lake Erie.

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