I live in a subdivision that is at the end of a 2 mile two lane road with farm fields and trees on either side. At the very end of that road is a large lake. The homes in my area are on and around this lake.
Several years ago, a bald eagle decided to make his nest in one of the trees in the farm fields. Word got around and every day there were cars parked OFF the side of the road with people taking pictures, sometimes with huge professional cameras and sometimes parents with their young kids with binoculars. I travel down this stretch of road at least once a day and have never been inconvenienced by these people. As a matter of fact, I felt honored that this bird made his home in my area and was glad people were enjoying him as well.
Last week county signs had been erected every few hundred feet up and down the road prohibiting stopping or standing. Out of curiosity, I asked the owner of the farm land if he had called and he said no, he heard people in our subdivision was complaining about the cars parked off the side of the road being a “distraction” to drivers. Yes, on occasion I was behind someone who was slowing down trying to locate the tree with the nest and waited for them to pull over but it was never such an inconvenience that it ever occurred to me to call and complain. Often I stopped and helped them by pointing to the area.
Just bugs me that so many people were enjoying the sight and now they can no longer do so without walking a good mile from where you are permitted to park down a road without any sidewalk.
Is there not a public access to the lake area? Why don’t the would be spectators go there?
Anyway, mild congestion I could deal with. Anything more than that; I’d have to side with your neighbors. I might change my mind depending on how long a Bald Eagle nests. If it’s just a seasonal thing I could deal with that but if they nest for life there; we got problems.
I guess I’d need ignorance fought on the nesting habits of Bald Eagles.
Eagles return to and add on to their nests every year. Old nests can weigh over a ton. Granted the production of chicks is seasonal but it’s every season until something happens to the nest or the birds.
We had a pretty well-known eagle’s nest, aerie, around here. It was on a busy road but there were places to pull off and eagle watch. There was also a lot of prime land nearby. Eventually they built condos and a strip mall, somehow they got around laws to protect the birds, and the birds left. The birds may leave if there is too much human activity so it’s really not a bad idea to restrict traffic in that area.
Ah, I see. So, in the interest of safety, we now have … a very unsafe situation. :dubious: A mile with no sidewalk? Pedestrians under those conditions are far more distracting (read: dangerous) than parked cars.
Any chance they were just attempting to cut down on the spectators, because it was, in some way negatively impacting the nesting birds? Because that would be my first thought.
It could also be the case that someone almost got hit. I’m picturing lots of people looking straight up, without regard to what’s around them. I could easily see someone, stepping back, while looking up and not realize they’re getting dangerously close to traffic.
I’d walk a mile to see a bald eagle’s nest, without a second thought. It’s hard to picture a community, lakeside, on a 2 mile long road, balking at having to walk a mile, on a road even, not a trail.
Well the nest is probably over 500 feet from the road so I don’t think the bird was being disturbed. There is a cow fence between where the folks were pulling over and the road and no one (that I ever noticed) was going on the farmer’s property. If you wanted to park in my subdivision, you’d be walking on uneven farm land that slopes down OR the road shoulder which has a speed limit of 55 so I don’t think that would be such a good idea.
I think it was some of the old farts in the neighborhood who just didn’t like the cars pulled over and complained. Every time I drive home and see those signs I feel like sending my kid over to go play on some old farts lawn to piss them off. I really miss the “visitors” and their excited faces while I was driving by.
Totally LOVE “my” bird and enjoyed everyone else loving it to. We also have a pair of Whooping Cranes that live by the lake and wander into the subdivision that are tagged. I almost had a stroke the day my little dog decided to chase them off the lawn.
This NY girl really likes the Florida local wild life.
I think the huge nest that isn’t on the lake but about 1/4 mile away is the attraction. That isn’t by the lake but in the farmer’s field in a tree. Anyway, the lake doesn’t have public access in my area. It is a private community. There is a boat docking place and the city owned access elsewhere. People can park on the residential street, however.
“No, you listen to ME! I’m the goddamned endangered one here!” Because from the looks of them, I imagine eagles don’t have a calm, conversational tone.
If the city/county/state put those signs up then they probably don’t want people stopping there to begin with. It does suck for the eagle watchers but I can’t say I’m entirely unsympathetic to your neighbors either.
Cool! I saw two eagles together on my way to work last week. They hang out along my route, but I never know whether I’ll see them or not, and I’ve only seen them together once before. There’s nowhere to pull over to take a picture, though, and it’s on a highway bridge, so all I can do is rubberneck as I go by.
