Bald Eagle viewing/photography etiquette.
Apr 11, 2012 22:23:09 #
One post that always elicits the most views and comments is when someone posts Bald Eagle pictures. They are always great to see. They are majestic and powerful and they are the symbol of our country. I do get concerned, when I see some of the pictures that have been posted. Few, however, know the story of the Bald Eagle.
In pre-colonial America, in what would become the lower 48 states, there were estimated to be over 100,000 Eagles. By the late 1800s, with habitat destruction, hunting and competition for game the population had declined tremendously. During the 1930s people became aware that the species was so severely threatened that our National Symbol could completely dissapear. In 1940, the Bald Eagle Protection Act was passed and populations started to increase as harassment and hunting was reduced. After WW II, DDT use increased tremendously and Eagle populations dropped precipitously. DDT was sprayed on crops to reduce insect damage but was consumed by small mammals that were prey for Eagles, Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons and many other top of the food chain predators. It was discovered that DDT caused the birds egg shells to be so fragile that they seldom survived the incubation period and if they did, the eggs often didnt hatch. In addition the Adult Eagles sometimes became infertile as DDT built up in their tissues.
By 1963, there were only 487 known pairs of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 States. In 1967 the Bald Eagle was declared an Endangered Species by a precursor to the National Endangered Species Act. That law, which was signed by President Richard Nixon on July 4,1972, placed the Bald Eagle and many other species under Federal Protection.
Few species ever recover when they become endangered. Among the few notable exceptions are the California Gray Whale, The American Alligator and the Bald Eagle.
In 1995, 20 years after DDT had been banned, the Bald Eagle was upgraded from Endangered to Threatened. And, finally, in 2007, the Interior Department took the Bald Eagle off the Threatened and Endangered Species list. Today, there are about 9800 breeding pairs in the lower 48.
While a cause for celebration, it does not mean that Eagles dont need our care and concern. They are still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. With so few breeding pairs it wouldnt take much to tip the scales in the other direction.
To help you understand how you can help, I have appended information from the Pennsylvania Game Commission website outlining correct etiquette when viewing Bald Eagles:
Etiquette from Pa Game Comm. website.
There are few sights more thrilling than a bald eagle at its nest or in action along a shoreline. Responsibilities come with this enjoyment. As you enjoy eagles, you must ensure your presence and behavior do not have a detrimental effect on the eagles or their future use of the area. Eagle nests and young eagles are easily disturbed. By causing a premature fledging, you can inadvertently cause injury or death of an eaglet that can not yet fly or defend itself. In the cold winter, energy is a very valuable commodity for eagles. Flushing eagles from a roost site or a feeding ground causes unnecessary stress and may expose the eagle to additional predators. So please keep your distance from eagle nests and roosts. Respect their space. Enjoy their presence at a distance with good optics. Please consider the following general etiquette guidelines for avoiding eagle disturbances:
Stay back! Keep at least 1,000 feet from an active nest, roost, or feeding area. Use optics like binoculars or a telescope to view the eagles at a distance.
Quiet please! If you must talk, whisper.
Cover up! Use your vehicle or boat as a blind; eagles often are more alarmed by pedestrians.
Be cool! Avoid sudden movements and movements directly toward the eagles or the nest while on foot or in a vehicle or boat.
No flushing! Dont make the birds fly. Flushing an eagle off a nest may expose the eggs or young eaglets to cold or wet weather or a nest predator. It also wastes precious energy and may cause them to leave a valuable meal behind or abandon a nest that they are constructing.
Pay attention! Watch how the eagle reacts to your presence if it acts agitated, vocalizes repeatedly, or starts moving away, you are too close!
Stay out! Respect restricted zones. They protect eagle nesting areas. And youre breaking state and federal laws if you enter them.
Privacy please! Respect the privacy of the landowner. Dont tell everyone about a new eagle nest. It will attract people to nesting areas who will not use proper etiquette and other unnecessary attention to a nest. If you unexpectedly stumble onto an eagle nest, or hear an eagle vocalizing overhead, leave immediately and quietly.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
In pre-colonial America, in what would become the lower 48 states, there were estimated to be over 100,000 Eagles. By the late 1800s, with habitat destruction, hunting and competition for game the population had declined tremendously. During the 1930s people became aware that the species was so severely threatened that our National Symbol could completely dissapear. In 1940, the Bald Eagle Protection Act was passed and populations started to increase as harassment and hunting was reduced. After WW II, DDT use increased tremendously and Eagle populations dropped precipitously. DDT was sprayed on crops to reduce insect damage but was consumed by small mammals that were prey for Eagles, Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons and many other top of the food chain predators. It was discovered that DDT caused the birds egg shells to be so fragile that they seldom survived the incubation period and if they did, the eggs often didnt hatch. In addition the Adult Eagles sometimes became infertile as DDT built up in their tissues.
By 1963, there were only 487 known pairs of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 States. In 1967 the Bald Eagle was declared an Endangered Species by a precursor to the National Endangered Species Act. That law, which was signed by President Richard Nixon on July 4,1972, placed the Bald Eagle and many other species under Federal Protection.
Few species ever recover when they become endangered. Among the few notable exceptions are the California Gray Whale, The American Alligator and the Bald Eagle.
In 1995, 20 years after DDT had been banned, the Bald Eagle was upgraded from Endangered to Threatened. And, finally, in 2007, the Interior Department took the Bald Eagle off the Threatened and Endangered Species list. Today, there are about 9800 breeding pairs in the lower 48.
While a cause for celebration, it does not mean that Eagles dont need our care and concern. They are still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. With so few breeding pairs it wouldnt take much to tip the scales in the other direction.
To help you understand how you can help, I have appended information from the Pennsylvania Game Commission website outlining correct etiquette when viewing Bald Eagles:
Etiquette from Pa Game Comm. website.
There are few sights more thrilling than a bald eagle at its nest or in action along a shoreline. Responsibilities come with this enjoyment. As you enjoy eagles, you must ensure your presence and behavior do not have a detrimental effect on the eagles or their future use of the area. Eagle nests and young eagles are easily disturbed. By causing a premature fledging, you can inadvertently cause injury or death of an eaglet that can not yet fly or defend itself. In the cold winter, energy is a very valuable commodity for eagles. Flushing eagles from a roost site or a feeding ground causes unnecessary stress and may expose the eagle to additional predators. So please keep your distance from eagle nests and roosts. Respect their space. Enjoy their presence at a distance with good optics. Please consider the following general etiquette guidelines for avoiding eagle disturbances:
Stay back! Keep at least 1,000 feet from an active nest, roost, or feeding area. Use optics like binoculars or a telescope to view the eagles at a distance.
Quiet please! If you must talk, whisper.
Cover up! Use your vehicle or boat as a blind; eagles often are more alarmed by pedestrians.
Be cool! Avoid sudden movements and movements directly toward the eagles or the nest while on foot or in a vehicle or boat.
No flushing! Dont make the birds fly. Flushing an eagle off a nest may expose the eggs or young eaglets to cold or wet weather or a nest predator. It also wastes precious energy and may cause them to leave a valuable meal behind or abandon a nest that they are constructing.
Pay attention! Watch how the eagle reacts to your presence if it acts agitated, vocalizes repeatedly, or starts moving away, you are too close!
Stay out! Respect restricted zones. They protect eagle nesting areas. And youre breaking state and federal laws if you enter them.
Privacy please! Respect the privacy of the landowner. Dont tell everyone about a new eagle nest. It will attract people to nesting areas who will not use proper etiquette and other unnecessary attention to a nest. If you unexpectedly stumble onto an eagle nest, or hear an eagle vocalizing overhead, leave immediately and quietly.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Apr 11, 2012 22:39:00 #
There is even more news and articles to use besides that. You could also check out eagle center websites or visit an eagle center like I have (2 times - the most recent the Saturday of Easter weekend) to get the full scoop.
Apr 11, 2012 23:30:46 #
Well done, birdpix! I enjoyed your interesting and informative post immensely, and I hope many others will as well. Thank you!
Apr 12, 2012 06:40:45 #
Apr 12, 2012 09:38:46 #
Apr 12, 2012 10:06:07 #
Apr 12, 2012 11:29:21 #
Apr 12, 2012 12:06:54 #
Apr 12, 2012 12:39:41 #
Well, as usual, I disagree - the bald eagle, while still rare, is not a noble bird, but a scavenger that would rather bully a real predator like an osprey than hunt for itself. The photo I got of a baldy was a female feeding on a deer carcass beside the road. I would be more respectful of landowner's rights than this buzzard's nesting sites. If you have an 800 mm lens, fine, but these birds are not afraid of anything - they've been protected for 15 generations - now, if you find a Peregrine nest, THAT you should steer clear of!
(See the article about Ben Franklin's opposition to making the baldy the national symbol - he voted for the wild turkey - a much nobler and elusive bird)
http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html
(See the article about Ben Franklin's opposition to making the baldy the national symbol - he voted for the wild turkey - a much nobler and elusive bird)
http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html
Apr 12, 2012 13:06:36 #
Bald eagles are opportunists and they don't always play nice. Some seem to be less bothered by noise and activity than others. I have been following an eagle cam in virginia where an eagle pair chose to build their nest in the center of a highly visited botanical garden located right next door to an airport! The garden staff does rope off an area around the nest during nesting season, though to keep people from being too close to the tree. I still think they are beautiful birds, even if they aren't as noble as the turkey!!!
Apr 12, 2012 18:52:09 #
Ugly Jake wrote:
Well, as usual, I disagree - the bald eagle, while... (show quote)
Hi Jake:
We have to be very careful when we anthropomorphize animal behaviour. Ascribing human emotions, traits and morals to an animal that is driven by instinct and hormones just is not right. Yes, Eagles are sometimes scavengers as are many other animals. Eagles are primarily fish eaters but do scavange when fish are difficult to find due to ice conditions, high water etc. I too, have seen Eagles steal fish from other birds. This is no more a moral issue than me cutting my fingernails. It is just the way it is in the animal world.
Some Eagles have become acclimated to humans and will nest in close proximity. Automobiles, trains, airplanes apparently aren't viewed by Eagles and many birds as threats. Even the acclimated ones, although they can be approached more closely, need to be respected as do all of the wildlife out there. If you can't respect the Eagle as a symbol of our country at least respect it for what it symbolizes about our country's ability to clean up the environment. When the top predators, Eagles, Osprey, Peregrines, wolves etc are healthy and in balance, then the whole ecosystem is healthy which is good for us humans.
Apr 12, 2012 19:29:01 #
br3kes
Loc: Tarentum PA
I think its not just the Bald Eagle but all of nature. You treat it with respect. Sure if a bee stings me, I'm gonna kill it. For the most part, if you are enjoying the beauty of something and want to get its picture, you pretty much 'ask' by being quite and not interfering with its natural habitat. Wish the government could be so lenient :D
Apr 12, 2012 23:02:08 #
Check out the eagle's nest here:
http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp
I have been watching this for about three weeks. There are three eaglets being watched over by mom and dad.
http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp
I have been watching this for about three weeks. There are three eaglets being watched over by mom and dad.
Apr 13, 2012 00:39:49 #
If you want to see a PEREGRINE FALCON nest, there is a link to one in Salt Lake. go to (peregrinefalcon.com) they are on video 24 hours a day. No eggs yet, but hopefully soon.
Ugly Jake wrote:
Well, as usual, I disagree - the bald eagle, while... (show quote)
Apr 13, 2012 09:15:27 #
pipesgt wrote:
Check out the eagle's nest here:
http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp
I have been watching this for about three weeks. There are three eaglets being watched over by mom and dad.
http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp
I have been watching this for about three weeks. There are three eaglets being watched over by mom and dad.
Alcoa is a great site....also the first egg hatched today at this nest in Minnesota!
http://www.mnbound.com/live-eagle-cam
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