Virginia’s bald eagle population is flying high, along with that of the rest of the Chesapeake Bay, after reaching near-extinction levels in the early 1970s, according to Brian D. Watts, director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary.

Watts, and center founder Mitchell A. Byrd, attended last Thursday’s meeting of the Mathews Rotary Club to talk about the resurgence of the region’s eagle population, as well as providing insight into the life cycle of the raptor that has long been a symbol of the nation.

After reaching maintenance levels in 1980, Watts said, the population has shown steady growth in the past three-plus decades to the point where the population now experiences a doubling every 7.6 years. Currently, he said, there are approximately 800 mating pairs in Virginia; 1,600 in the entire Chesapeake Bay.

This increase is most noticeable along the tributaries of the James River. In the 1970s, bald eagles had disappeared ...