The essential natural features and critical human disturbance parameters of sustainable bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus nesting habitat in Prince Edward Island

The active bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nesting sites in Prince Edward Island for 2004 were evaluated against a variety of parameters to assess the influence of human activities on eagle nesting. The increasing population of eagles in Prince Edward Island suggests that the eagles can tolerate some anthropogenic interference and more stringent guidelines used in other jurisdictions such as Ontario are not necessarily applicable. The importance of white pines (Pinus strobes) as nesting trees for eagles was evident. The mortality data of bald eagles in the Maritime Provinces and the banding data for Prince Edward Island indicate that bald eagles move throughout the region. The bald eagle population would benefit from regional sharing of information and management. Recommendations for buffer zones around bald eagle's nests which are applicable to Prince Edward Island are offered to afford the bald eagles the best chance for nesting success.