Biologists peer through binoculars at an eagle’s nest. A little eaglet has hatched from its shell! Finally, bald eagles are back in Vermont!

Scientists discovered the first modern bald eagle nest in Vermont in 2002. Before that, the eagles had been missing for 60 years. It was good that the eagles were finally there. But for the species to survive, the birds needed to be having healthy babies too. The biologists waited and waited. After six years, a strong eaglet finally left the nest.

Now things are getting better and better for the birds. Vermont has cleaner water. There are more forests along shorelines. Eagles can make homes there. This year, eagles produced 35 young birds in Vermont. That’s a record! Biologists hope the same thing happens next year. If it does, the bald eagle may finally get scratched off the state’s endangered species list.

(AP Photo: A young bald eagle flies over the shoreline of Lake Champlain near Vermont.)

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. ― Isaiah 40:31