liberty bell keeps on ringing

PHILADELPHIA - Wildlife authorities have found the first bald eagle nest in the city in more than 200 years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said Friday.

Officials are not disclosing the exact location of the nest to avoid disturbing the site, but agency personnel and volunteers are monitoring it closely, the commission said.

"We don't know if the nest will result in the pair successfully breeding and laying eggs yet, but we are very hopeful," Dan Brauning, commission wildlife diversity supervisor, said in a statement.

About one-fifth of the eagle nests in the state fail each year due to disturbances, predators and bad weather, he said.

Brauning said the confirmation of a nest within the city "demonstrates the resilience of this species and its apparent growing tolerance to human activity."