EyeNoU
Posts: 115
Joined: Mar. 2008
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| Quote (stevestory @ Jan. 09 2009,17:26) | | Quote (EyeNoU @ Dec. 30 2008,19:08) | | Quote (Albatrossity2 @ Dec. 29 2008,15:14) | | Quote (EyeNoU @ Dec. 29 2008,14:50) | Question for Albatrossy:
Saw this fellow on the drive home from the oil rig I was working at (I apologize for the poor photo, but all I had was my cellphone). The location is near Lake Limestone in central Texas. The nest in the picture was approximately 5' across and appeared to be made of sticks and twigs. The bird's beak appeared to be curved downward at the end. Could this be a Bald Eagle? |
Looks like a Bald Eagle (and nest) to me.
I'm sure that somebody with the TX Wildlife/Game agency, or some Texas branch of the USFWS, has tabs on every Bald Eagle nesting in the state. You might see what they can tell you about this guy. |
I e-mailed both agencies. I received a reply from someone at Texas Parks & Wildlife.He said they have been monitoring sites at or near the lake since 1986. He said they knew of one active site that has been quite productive, usually producing two young eagles per year. He also asked me exactly where I saw this guy, there is a possibility it is a site they are unaware of. I'll keep you informed. |
I've mostly ignored this thread, but it's turning out to be pretty cool. |
I have exchanged a few more e-mails with Mr. Brent Ortego of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. He asked me to send him a Google map with the location of the nest I saw marked on it. This was the reply:
"This is a new site, but it might involve a pair we have already been tracking. Eagles have problems maintaining their very large nests. It is not unusual for tree branches to break under the strain when a major storm rolls through. Nests typically are replaced at 4 year intervals and many times this is due to tree failures.
We will log this nest location into our files and will keep track of this new nesting location"
I then e-mailed Brent asking about their diet. I mentioned that I thought I saw an eagle take off from a roadkseveral weeks earlier, but had only a brief glimpse since i was driving. His response:
"While the eagle is near the top of the food chain, it is not the most efficient predator. It generally needs to be easy. Food habit work has shown that catfish, softshell turtles and coots are some of the most abundant food items at nest sites. They will opportunistically kill waterfowl and when they get desperate/lazy they will work road kills."
I'll post any further information as I get it.
Do you think Wes might like to recruit this bird for those days he would rather fish than hunt?
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