When Jules MacCusker came across a bald eagle's nest near his home in Toronto in December, he couldn't believe his eyes.

MacCusker said, "The first thing I thought was that it was impossible," citing that his surprise was because he hadn't heard of a bald eagle nest in Toronto during the past century.

While spotting one of the city's famous birds of prey is very rare in itself, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) confirmed in an email to CBC Toronto that this is the first documented bald eagle nest ever in Toronto.

MacCusker said, "It's incredible." "I mean, it's just absolutely amazing."

Experts say it is a significant moment, as bald eagles were only removed from Ontario's endangered species list last year.

Michael Drescher, an environmental planning and conservation expert at the University of Waterloo, said the population of bald eagles in North America reached its lowest point in the 1960s, when only a few hundred nesting pairs remained.

Drescher added, "They were on the brink of extinction at that time."

Drescher confirmed that the resurgence of bald eagle nesting pairs across the continent, now estimated at tens of thousands, is largely due to the banning of certain pollutants, including DDT, a widely used insecticide banned in the 1970s.

John Spiro, a bird and terrestrial invertebrate keeper at the Toronto Zoo, noted that DDT exposure caused bald eagles to lay fragile eggs that could crack under the weight of the incubating bird.

Spiro added that the number of bald eagles in southern Ontario is still lower than in other historical periods, but their resurgence is a positive sign of the quality of the water and fish they rely on.

Emphasizing: "It's a sign that the ecosystem is healthy when we see bald eagles returning to it."

Drescher added that there are also greater food supplies for bald eagles, as small mammals and fish preyed upon by the eagles have similarly benefited from reduced pollutants.

This discovery comes just over a decade after another pair of bald eagles settled in the Royal Botanical Gardens' Cootes Paradise near Hamilton. Two years later, the first eagles hatched on the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario in over 50 years.

MacCusker told CBC Toronto, "Its spiritual significance is immense," adding that he and other members of the Indigenous community were invited to witness the arrival of the eagles.

The eagle holds cultural importance for Indigenous communities

MacCusker's friend, Duke Redbird, a chief of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, said the birds' return to Ontario's shores is a good omen, as bald eagles are very sacred to Indigenous communities and represent honor, truth, kindness, and life.

Redbird, a poet and well-known Indigenous literary figure, said, "Our community has always loved the bald eagle for its strength and its ability to represent truth and goodwill."

Pointing out that an eagle feather is the greatest honor anyone can give to them.

Redbird said, "Let's hope the eaglets hatching this year spread their joy throughout Toronto."