LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State wildlife officials say a record number of bald eagle nests were documented in Nebraska last year.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says 159 active bald eagle nests were found in the state in 2016 — the most since the raptor was listed on federal and state endangered species lists. The 2016 number far outpaced the previous record of 118 in 2015 and is a nearly 195 percent increase from the 54 nests recorded in 2007.

The commission’s nongame bird program manager, Joel Jorgensen, says last year’s spike “was a big surprise.”

He says some of the increase is likely attributable to increased survey effort, but the numbers also reflect real increases in the state’s breeding numbers.