Bobcats, bald eagles and bears, oh my! Species seeing population growth in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A trio of species that were once a rare sight in Ohio are making a comeback. 

Bald eagles, bobcats and black bears are all seeing their populations rise in the Buckeye State, according to data from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Bald eagle nest census shows soaring population

The ODNR’s Division of Wildlife conducted a bald eagle nest census earlier this month, tallying the number of active nests – defined as having eggs, eaglets or an incubating eagle present – in the state. 

The 2025 census confirmed the presence of 964 nests across 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties. This represents a 36% increase from the 707 nests counted in the last statewide census in 2020.

Ottawa County saw the highest number of nests, with 112, followed by Sandusky County (61), Erie County (40), Seneca County (36) and Wyandot County (31). The counties with the most nests, unsurprisingly, all have abundant wetlands or rivers, as bald eagles primarily eat fish.

In 1974, bald eagles were added to Ohio’s endangered species list, as their population dwindled nationwide largely due to the widespread use of DDT, a pesticide that led to reproductive failure by weakening eggshells. The bird was listed as federally endangered in 1978 and by 1979, there were only four nesting pairs in Ohio. 

After the nationwide ban of DDT in 1972, along with the introduction of a variety of legal protections and reintroduction programs for bald eagles, the species was delisted as federally endangered in 2007.

The bald eagle was also removed from the state’s endangered species list in 2012, following conservation efforts between the Division of Wildlife, Ohio zoos, wildlife rehabilitation facilities and landowners, according to the ODNR.

“The bald eagle is one of Ohio’s great conservation success stories,” said Mary Mertz, director of the ODNR. “The eagle’s remarkable comeback over the last few decades, both in Ohio and nationwide, proves how much we can accomplish when we conserve and protect habitat.”

Ohio’s only native wild cat is making a comeback

The Buckeye State is seeing another success story unfold with bobcats. Once widespread in Ohio, the wild felines became locally extinct in the mid-1800s due to extensive deforestation and unregulated hunting. 

Beginning in the 1850s, occasional reports of bobcats surfaced, but prior to 2000, there were never more than five sightings confirmed by the ODNR in a given year, said Lindsey Krusling, a communications specialist with the Division of Wildlife. 

In the early 2000s, sightings began to steadily rise, and since 2019, the division has confirmed over 500 reports annually. The confirmed sightings have spanned 86 of Ohio’s 88 counties. In 2024, there were 777 sightings, according to the department's most recent data.

Reports of bobcats are most common in southern areas of the state between September and January, according to Krusling. This time period coincides with when young bobcats begin dispersing from their mothers in the fall, and when their breeding season starts in January. 

Krusling attributed the bobcats’ rising population in Ohio to habitat restoration, as forested areas are currently expanding in the eastern United States.

“Bobcats, they are very cryptic species, where they are mostly nocturnal, they don't like to be seen, so they prefer those forested areas,” Krusling said. “As we have kind of reestablished our forest here in Ohio, that has caused a dramatic increase for them.”

Black bear sightings on the rise 

Like bobcats, black bears experienced a significant population decline in Ohio in the mid-1800s due to habitat loss and hunting. By the 1850s, they were considered locally extinct, according to the ODNR. 

Although black bears are still considered endangered in Ohio, the state is witnessing a significant increase in confirmed sightings. In 2024, there were 210 confirmed sightings in Ohio. In 1993, when the ODNR started monitoring sightings, there were only nine confirmed black bear reports. 

“Every year, pretty much, we are seeing an increase in sightings of black bears in Ohio,” Krusling said in a recent interview.

Black bears are most commonly seen in Ohio in eastern forested areas of the state in late May through early July, according to the ODNR. This time frame largely lines up with the species' breeding season.

Most black bear sightings in Ohio are of young male bears roaming large distances in search of females, who tend to establish a territory and stay there. Males are unlikely to stay in an area long-term unless a female bear is present.

In just the past few years, the state department has begun to see adult females with cubs — another indicator of a growing population, according to Krusling. She again pointed to habitat restoration as a reason for the growing population. 

“It’s an indicator that we are definitely on the right track and we are restoring a lot of our habitat and then the states around us are doing the same thing,” Krusling said. “We aren't reintroducing them... They are returning on their own. So it's showing that we do have a lot more habitat for them here in Ohio than we did previously.”