State To Conduct Spring Bald Eagle Count

State wildlife officials and volunteers will be conducting a bald eagle count in early April to try to locate new nests.

The state-wide event on April 5 will include a survey of the major rivers, lakes and reservoirs in Massachusetts.

In 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species after almost disappearing from most of the country decades ago.

But state wildlife officials say there's a growing need to more closely monitor the birds' breeding status and distribution in Massachusetts as their numbers rise.

They're also encouraging members of the public to submit information on their own eagle sightings throughout the year.