Bald eagles on the rise in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said the state has seen "a dramatic uptick" in new bald-eagle nests, including new nests in Medford and Concord, this year.

[Photos of one of the Medford eagles]

That brings the number of active eagle nests in Massachusetts to more than 70, the division says.

The number could have been even higher but for one battle between a pair of eagles and a pair of ospreys on Martha's Vineyard and two intra-eagle squabbles on the mainland:

An eagle pair took over an osprey nest and were incubating eggs when the ospreys returned from their wintering grounds. The osprey pair that most likely built the nest harassed the incubating eagle who would flip upside down with its talons in the air in defense. Eventually the eagle cracked the eggs doing this, and this historic nesting attempt failed. Two other eagle nests on the mainland have also failed as a result of an intruding eagle invading the territory and killing the chicks in the nest. Although difficult for observers to witness, these events are all signs of a thriving eagle population in Massachusetts.