Langley AFB Eagle Bird Study

Project objective: The objective of this project is to increase management tools available to Air Force Flight Safety programs for managing bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as part of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other relevant federal and state agencies with a vested interest in evidence-based management of this species. Bald eagle in the Chesapeake Bay Region have fully recovered from historic population declines caused by pesticides. From 2016 – April 2019, JBLE-Langley hazed bald eagles on the airfield over 800 times during active flight operations to preserve mission safety (J. Carr, USDA, pers comm., 2019). This extraordinary number of hazing events is likely a direct result of both high local bald eagle populations and JBLE-Langley’s location within the Atlantic Flyway. Location along a major migratory route contributes to utilization of the airfield by migratory individuals. We would like to determine if the capabiltity to fulfill this requirement can be accomplished by multiple entities. Please see attached PWS (Langley Eagle PWS 4 Mar 2020).