After several phone calls and a bunch of emails, I quickly deduced that the bald eagle is alive and well in a variety of locations across the county! I couldn’t be happier to hear all the great stories that have been pouring in involving bald eagles soaring around our community. There may even be a valid reason for the increase in sightings as well, but I’ll touch on that rumor later in the column.

 Carmine Colantuono, a Sampson County resident and avid outdoorsman called me earlier in the week to inform me that he had another sighting in the last few weeks. This sighting was exceptional as he watched a baldie from approximately 200 yards sitting in a tree after snatching a rabbit! He has also viewed a pair of eagles within the last year in a different part of the county. We are obviously hoping these are a mating pair and would love to have them take residence in our county permanently. Colantuono has become a bit of an eagle expert and does a lot of research on these incredible birds of prey and always keeps me informed. In fact, he and I have discussed possibly forming an eagle club, or committee or something along those lines for other folks that are interested in tracking these birds.

 From the rumor department comes some pretty exciting possibilities; although not yet officially confirmed. Several county residents have informed me that they have witnessed federal wildlife authorities releasing bald eagles in our county in several locations in the last year. One individual told me that he asked these folks what they were doing and they told her they were releasing the birds here and that a federal program would be tracking there whereabouts. They allegedly want to see if the birds will stay here and if our habitat is conducive for breeding. Again, this is not confirmed, but it would be great news for those of us that enjoy watching the bald eagles in flight. Keep the stories coming and I’ll let you know what else I find out in the upcoming weeks.