HARRISBURG — The number of bald eagle nests statewide are on the rise.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, 277 bald-eagle nests have been documented in the state, with nesting eagles in at least 58 of the state’s 67 counties this year.

There are eagle at Moraine State Park in Butler County.

The preliminary mid-year report on bald eagle nests show a trend that’s an all-time high. Last year’s preliminary count had 254 nests.

Game Commission executive director R. Matthew Hough said in a statement, “Like many Pennsylvanians, I remember a time when bald eagles were absent just about everywhere in the state, and it truly is astonishing how things have turned around.

“Through our reintroduction program, our protection of eagles and effective management, we’ve gone from three nests statewide to what soon could be 300, all within the span of my career with the game commission.”