The sighting of a pair of eagles building a nest along the River Trail became big news in the area about a month ago.
Two weeks ago we set out on a nice evening to get a glimpse of the two Bald Eagles before all the leaves were on the trees.
The eagles were not at the nest that night, but we did get some practice with the binoculars and a good lesson on protecting wildlife, and what territory means.
We had been waiting and watching on the edge of the river trail when a couple of young men appeared and spooked the deer on an island area in the middle of the river. The two men were approaching the area of the river the eagles had claimed for their nest, had gloves on and looked like they were trying to get as close as they could. It is illegal to disturb an eagle nest in the United States.
The group of fellow bird enthusiasts on the riverbank that night was a thing of beauty and jumped into action to call local authorities, describe the two young men (with the help of our binoculars) and by the time we left the park, a ranger had them by his car and was talking to them about their actions. I hope it was innocent enthusiasm for the birds that lead the boys to creep too close to the nest, but to protect the only nesting eagles in the county, we all need to be aware of the rules and help to enforce them.
Check out this article for more about protecting the Eagles’ Nest –
Opinion – Protect the Eagles’ Nest
I had my two kids patiently waiting, collecting sticks and identifying other birds along the river. A young woman stopped her walk for the night to watch for a few minutes and a group of three women with grown children brought their binoculars along. One man brought an impressive looking telescope and a few locals encouraged our waiting crowd about beautiful previous sightings of the two Lansing eagles.
Potter park has now set up a place to view the Eagles’ Nest.
We rapidly approached bed time and called it a night without a sighting of the eagles, but I am sure we will be back again soon.
Talk to you soon!
Kristy
Nature with Family 