Once gone, eagles flourish in Bay Area skies

At golden eagle nests in the Los Vaqueros Watershed, six eagle chicks were hatched, raised and fledged this year, wildlife biologists at the Contra Costa Water District have confirmed.

There were no such fledglings — birds able to fly out of their nests — in 2015 and ’17 and only four in 2016, they said.

The success is a testament to regionwide prosperity for many raptors, including once near-extinct peregrine falcons and bald eagles, according to Glenn Stewart, staff and volunteers at the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group at UC Santa Cruz.