Our wood yard supervisor was on duty again today. We actually have 2, and they have babies in the nest. The nest is in a big white pine that is next to our driveway. They watch us work and play. The nest has been here for about 15 years and it’s one of several in the area that they maintain. They don’t seem to mind us at all, and sometimes call for assistance when another eagle is causing trouble and we can walk out to the tree and the new bird will leave. They do drop a lot of sticks in the driveway during nest maintenance.
We have had 3 of them in one tree at the same time here....but no nest........that would be so cool! I remember back in the 60's when the eagles were a rare site. It was blamed on the use of DDT pesticide making it's way up the food chain and causing their egg shells to become fragile.
Issac, you are blessed. I think most folks would be real happy to have that. It is a thrill for me and I have been almost close enough to touch one. Beautiful bird and watching them take flight off ground is a sight to behold. Here, we are blessed with deer. Right now I can just turn my head and look out the sliding glass door and one of our deer laid down about 10 feet from the house.
Yes, and their population is just starting to really make a comeback in the last decade or 2. DDT has a long persistence time therefore remained a problem long after it was banned.
One of my favorite things to do is watch the eagles. We have a nest in the DNR woods next to us. Couple winters ago we had 5 at one time standing by each other on the frozen lake just out our back door. Last summer had one in the tree in the front yard tearing apart a coon.
Found the pic. If you zoom in you can see the tail of the coon. Have a video also but don't think I can attach that.
We have one around scared me cane and got critter while I was brushing hogging on kubota.. Attacked 15 feet from me on tractor i felt air from wings before I saw movement I don’t think he was scared of me at all..
We have quite a few around here. Taking the jet boat on the river, we normally see 1-5 eagles per mile of river. They are all over the roads too, eating roadkill. Unfortunately they get hit often. I fixed a truck that hit one and it went through the windshield. My brother hit one several years ago. They are making a strong recovery around here. It’s not uncommon to see several at a time floating on thermals.
(from Michigan farm news site) July 11, 2023 While enjoying the great outdoors this summer, keep your eyes to the skies for bald eagles — the national emblem. These very large raptors can be found fishing and scavenging along Michigan’s lakes and rivers. Despite their name, bald eagles are not actually bald. Adults have white heads and tails that contrast with their dark brown bodies. Juveniles, which will be leaving their nests this month, have dark brown bodies, heads and tails, with brown and white mottling. Bald eagles have become a popular sight across Michigan and are expanding in southern Michigan as they adapt to nesting in more open and urban landscapes. Recent statewide surveys found approximately 900 breeding pairs in the state. This compares to only 359 breeding pairs in 2000 and 83 in 1980. And 60 years ago, you would not have been able to see bald eagles across much of Michigan or the United States. In 1963, the U.S. bald eagle population had reached an all-time low of 417 nesting pairs across the lower 48 states, and the bird was an endangered species. Their populations declined due to loss of nesting habitat, persecution by humans and a pesticide called DDT, which caused reproductive problems that accelerated population declines in the 1950s and 1960s. Michigan led the way in bald eagle conservation and was the first state to ban DDT in 1969, three years before it was banned nationally. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 additionally increased protections and funding to support the recovery of endangered species like the bald eagle.
Ha! Returning from church a few years back, there was one perched on an ash limb right over the driveway tearing apart some lunch with what appeared to be white feathers drifting down from the branch it was on. It left at once as we drove underneath it. One of the dogs had a stuffed animal it plays with left on the lawn. Apparently, the eagle thought it was a easy lunch and was in the tree pulling out the stuffing looking for something to eat!
Ha! Returning from church a few years back, there was one perched on an ash limb right over the driveway tearing apart some lunch with what appeared to be white feathers drifting down from the branch it was on. It left at once as we drove underneath it. One of the dogs had a stuffed animal it plays with left on the lawn. Apparently, the eagle thought it was a easy lunch and was in the tree pulling out the stuffing looking for something to eat!
