Now I don’t mean to say that most folks have become complacent about seeing these magnificent birds. Bald Eagles still stop traffic when they are seen perched near a busy intersection in Oradell or when they are witnessed cruising over the NJ Turnpike at rush hour, and Osprey still draw a gasp from the audience when they come up with a big carp in the Meadowlands. I’m just a little worried that birders may be taking the return of these birds a little bit for granted.

Bald Eagles are now nesting in towns such as Oradell and Ridgefield Park, Peregrine Falcons are nesting on the Route 3 bridge in Secaucus, and Osprey  are again back where they belong, nesting in the Meadowlands. Obviously these birds have learned to adapt to suburban life, but how did we get this far? How did Eagles, Peregrines, and Osprey make it back?

I think that a quick history lesson might be in order for all of us. It all started in 1962 with Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring. This book documented the overuse of DDT and its effect on people and animals, especially birds. Silent Spring led to the banning of DDT in 1972 and to the modern environmental movement. Next, came the Clean Water Act in 1972 and the Endangered Species Act in 1973. These history-making pieces of legislation, along with a public that saw the need to act, gave government agencies, conservation groups  and people like you and me the money and the encouragement needed to put Bald Eagles and many other animals that were on the brink on the road to recovery.

Up until then, Bald Eagles were thought to be on their way to extinction, Peregrine Falcons basically were extinct from the eastern United States, and Osprey numbers had dramatically declined. I was a teenager at this time. None of these birds were to be found. I could only fantasize about seeing a Peregrine Falcon, never mind a Bald Eagle, yet here they are, right in our own backyard.