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Known bald eagle nesting territories within the state of Florida were surveyed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) during the 2013 nesting season with fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft beginning in late November 2012 and extending through mid-April 2013. Nest locations were determined with the use of aircraft-based Global Positioning System (GPS) units. Accuracy of locations is estimated to be within 0.1 miles of the true location. Locations are given in longitude and latitude to hundredths of a minute. The Township, Range, and Section of each nest location are also provided. Township, Range, and Section were determined from the Public Land Survey System grid that includes Land Grant parcels. Yearly nest activity status is listed for the 1998 through 2013 nesting seasons. 'Y' denotes an active nest, 'N' denotes an inactive nest, 'U' denotes a nest that was visited but status was undetermined, '-' denotes an unobserved nest, and '*' denotes a nest that was not surveyed.New Survey Protocol: In 2008 the statewide bald eagle nesting territory survey protocol changed. The protocol change reduces annual statewide survey effort and increases the amount of information gained from the nests that are visited during the survey season. Nest productivity is now determined for a sub-sample of the nests that are surveyed annually. Nest activity and productivity information are critical to determining if the goals and objectives of the Bald Eagle Management Plan are being met. |