Department of Natural Resources biologist John Castrale and DNR pilot Dennis Rumley spent seven workdays in a helicopter this spring swooping down Hoosier rivers and around Indiana's reservoirs searching for and checking eagle nests.

The aerial surveys turned up an Indiana-record 68 active nests. These nests fledged 91 new Hoosier bald eagles. Castrale and Rumley counted 62 active nests in 2005.

More than a third of Indiana counties, including Carroll, now have eagle nests. Indiana's eagle nesting range continues to expand from southern and southwestern Indiana into the northeastern and eastern parts of the state.

Three production check flights in May and June found 88 young eagles near fledging age, with single birds present at 17 nests, twins at 25 nests, and triplets at 7 nests.

Indiana eagle productivity figures were average this year, with nest success at 72 percent, 1.3 young per nest attempt, and 1.8 young per successful nest. Winds destroyed nests or nest trees in at least four instances.

Indiana's successful eagle nests in this area include:

+ Carroll County, Wabash River near Rattlesnake Creek Adult incubating on March 3; adult nearby. Three chicks and 1 adult on June 1.

+ Cass County, Wabash River west of Logansport Adult incubating on March 3. Two chicks and 1 adult on June 1.

+ Tippecanoe County, Colliers Island, Wabash River Adult incubating at new nest on island on March 3. One or 2 flighted chicks and 2 adults on June 1.

+ Tippecanoe County, Tippecanoe River Adult incubating on March 3. Two chicks on June 1.

From 1985 to 1989, 73 Alaskan and Wisconsin eagle chicks were raised by the Indiana DNR in artificial nests at Monroe Lake and released into the wild.

The first successful Indiana bald eagle nests of the 20th century were at Lake Monroe and Cagles Mill Lake in 1991. Before Indiana's reintroduction project, bald eagles last nested in the northwest corner of the state in 1897.

Support for Indiana's endangered wildlife comes from voluntary state income tax check off donations.