LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says a record 103 active bald eagle nests were recorded in Nebraska in 2012, breaking the record of 90 set in 2011.

Bald eagles have been increasing as a breeding species in Nebraska since 1991. Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager for Game and Parks, says the recent jump in nest numbers is due in part to observers spending a few days surveying areas that had not been checked for a few years.

Eagle populations throughout the country declined greatly during most of the 20th century primarily because of the use of DDT and similar pesticides.

After the banning of DDT and many years of intense management efforts, the bald eagle was removed from the federal and state lists of threatened and endangered species.