OHIO — Over 700 Bald Eagles have been spotted in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
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The ODNR issued a midwinter citizen survey from Jan. 7 through Jan. 21 to track bald eagles across the state.
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The ODNR received 391 separate reports, counting 715 bald eagles.
The Division of Wildlife asked for the public’s help to count the national bird due to the United States’ 250th anniversary occurring in 2026.
Over the 15-day window, the agency received reports of 592 adult and 123 immature eagles.
Here are the top 10 Ohio counties with the most eagles reported:
- Delaware (26 eagles observed)
- Franklin (26)
- Erie (24)
- Lucas (20)
- Ross (20)
- Sandusky (20)
- Huron (18)
- Muskingum (18)
- Knox (17)
- Wood (16)
The ODNR reports that Ohio’s bald eagle population has dramatically increased in recent years.
A 2025 bald eagle nest census found 964 active nests in Ohio, which is a significant increase from the 707 nests found during the 2020 nest census.
Nests were counted in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties in 2025.
The bald eagle was once an endangered species, with only four nesting pairs in Ohio in 1979.
After continued conservation, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007 and from Ohio’s list in 2012.
The Dayton area has its own pair of bald eagles, ‘Willa’ and ‘Scout’, who nest at Carillon Park.
The pair welcomed two eaglets last year, ‘Liberty’ and ‘Peace’, who fledged in June of 2025.
Willa and Scout bonded after Willa’s former mate, ‘Orv’, disappeared in October of 2024.
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