Canyon de Chelly National Monument has confirmed the presence of breeding bald eagles within the park, making this the northernmost known breeding pair of bald eagles in the state of Arizona.
Natural resource technicians conducting compliance surveys for a road repaving project first detected the pair in January. Continued surveys resulted in the detection of an occupied nest site. Bald eagle management in the park will be conducted as a multi-agency cooperative effort between the park, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Department.
Goals have been established by the park for this first year of breeding bald eagle surveys that will focus on gathering data on breeding behavior (incubation, nest exchanges, nest attendance), foraging attempts, habitat use, prey deliveries, interactions with other wildlife, and human activity in the breeding area. All information collected and activities performed are geared toward learning about and protecting the eagles, and increasing their survivability.
