Eagle Watch at Audubon of Florida
Florida has more resident bald eagles than any other state in the country, except Alaska. With an estimate of over 2000 nesting pairs, we have more eagles in Florida now than there were in the entire lower 48 states in the 1970s when bald eagles were granted protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
With an increasing population of bald eagles, and a steadily increasing human population
(current estimates are that Florida gains 900 new residents every day!), the
Eaglewatch program was formed a number of years ago as a way in which data
could be collected to document the nesting success of bald eagles in our
increasingly urban environment.
Throughout Florida, the Eaglewatch program currently has over 200 participants who monitor over 250
nests. Here in Martin County, our wealth of natural resources provide food
and habitat for approximately a dozen pairs of bald eagles. Nests vary
geographically from eastern areas of the county to near Lake Okeechobee in
the west, and from near the Martin/St. Lucie County line on the north to the
Martin/Palm Beach boundary on the south. Several nests are located on
publicly-owned land; others on private property.
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Eagle Watch in Martin County
Eaglewatch in Martin
County, as in any county, is a program that identifies eagle nests, watches
for signs of active nesting and records the daily routine and habits of the
resident eagles. For a number of years, Martin County Audubon members have
been involved in the statewide Eaglewatch program. Through this program,
volunteers monitor and document nesting activity at the various eagle nests
present in the County. In an unobtrusive manner, volunteers who have
participated in an orientation program provided by Audubon of Florida, watch
from afar, looking for signs of active nesting and recording the daily
routine and habits of the resident eagles. Volunteers are asked to observe
their nest areas for a minimum of 30 minutes to several hours, at least once
or twice per month throughout the November-April nesting season.
Several of these nests are in the DuPuis Reserve, 22,000 acres of western Martin County that
are owned and managed by the South Florida Water Management District, and
which are strategically located near Lake Okeechobee, the Okeechobee
Waterway, a + 6,700 acre power plant cooling reservoir and State Rd.
76. Each of these locations provide hunting grounds for the eagles, whose
preferred food is fish, but which are also known to hunt rats, rabbits,
birds and assorted road kill. [This writer has observed a Bald Eagle
fighting an Osprey in mid-air for the Osprey's fish catch and winning.]
Because of these factors, Dupuis is a stronghold nesting location for Bald
Eagles in Martin County.
In DuPuis there have been 8
nests identified with 5 currently active. Nesting season generally lasts
December through May. During these months observations are made 2 or 3 times
per week with an observation session lasting 3 or more hours. Nests are
frequently reused from year to year with the adults bringing in a new layer
of sticks to re-line the nest for each season. Eggs are laid in December or
early January can be verified by observation as one adult is always on the
nest with other adult hunting. Nest watchers wait anxiously for the first
signs of the eggs having hatched with the tell-tale signs of white bird
excrement being flung over the edge of the nest by the young nestling.
Volunteers have constructed
camouflage blinds from which to watch each nest and spend buggy, humid, some
times rainy hours watching and recording the eagle activities. Besides the
recording of activities, volunteers will note any extenuating factors which
can be hazards to flight, i.e. cross country electrical lines and habitat
changes such as land clearing by man or nature.
As expected these nests are not easily accessed as the nests are in rugged
terrain. Cross country hikes in lengths from one-half to three hours (one
way) are required including the hauling of computers, cameras, binoculars,
compass, GPS equipment, spotting scope, a tri-pod, cell phone, first aid
kit, sound equipment, rain gear and chairs from the last road to the nest.
The sight of our national symbol soaring high and free and tending to its
young is well worth the effort.
The information gathered on
the various nest sights is sent to the University of Florida where it is
compiled and sent on to US Fish and Wildlife Commission to help track
population numbers and determine long term nesting success strategies and
trends. The AoMC volunteers estimate they see only 50 percent of the eagles
that fledge every year in Martin County.
Participation in the
eaglewatch program is a great way to get nature enthusiasts involved in an
exciting program that contributes meaningful data to the science of
protecting our national symbol.
 One of the DuPuis volunteers,
Dale, is a second generation Stuart resident whose family came to Martin
County in 1924. After volunteering at DuPuis for 3 years doing general
activities this citizen scientist moved on to the Eaglewatch program and has
been participating for the last 6 years including video documentation of nesting activity. see gallery Another volunteer, Bill, came to AoMC through a conversation with our executive director at another
conservation organization meeting. Bill’s interest in Eagles prompted him to
participate in Eaglewatch training through the Audubon Birds of Prey Center.
The Center provides the volunteers with all of the how to information, maps
and locations of nests in Martin County. The rest is up to the volunteers.
The Dupuis Volunteers
have produced a video of the eagles and their nesting activities. Contact
DuPuis for details on presentations on the program observations.
For information about participating in the Eaglewatch Program in Martin County contact Clare-Rue Morgan (772) 286-9833 eaglered010@yahoo.com
For information about participating in Eaglewatch elsewhere in Florida contact Lynda White at Audubon of Florida Eaglewatch (407) 644-0190 eaglewatch@audubon.org
More Bald Eagle Information at:
Bald Eagle Information
Cornell Bald Eagle
Tosoro Eagle Cam Florida Audubon or direct feed to Port St. Lucie Audubon
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A Saga of Freedom
Photos courtesy of Marybeth Morrison & Laurie Odlum |
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"Boss, You gotta
see this...!" the voice crackled over the radio.
There he was, just laying there, barely breathing. You
could not see him breathe unless you watched real close. Everyone thought he
was dead; though praying he was not.
Cell phones were quickly dialed; concerned
citizens alerted to the possible tragedy. Here comes the cavalry in cars and
pickup trucks with shovels, and gloves. More prayers were lofted "Please
be alive!"
"Did he just fall out of the sky?" "Good eye to
see him here; he matches the ground." "I alerted the Hospital" "Be careful
of his head maybe he can be saved!" "Let's get him out of here; he does not
have much time…if any".
He was gently moved on to a snow shovel and
carried into the bed of a pickup with human escort to keep track of him
while they brought him in from the field. He smelled awful and had mites
crawling all over him. Back at the office they quickly checked to see if he
was alive. Just then he regurgitated some fowl smelling liver looking meat.
"He's Alive!" |
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So
started the Saga of Freedom.
These now somewhat crazed and dedicated people
had the future of a great bird in their hands. Off they sped to Busch
Wildlife Hospital in Jupiter with their precious cargo. He was not
moving-breathing only shallow breaths and not very often. The drive was only
half an hour but was an eternity for the would be rescue team now escort
service. By the end of the ride, hope was fading again. "He's not
breathing."
David Hitzig met the escort team and took
Freedom into their emergency facility. Freedom was non-responsive to being
handled and his head just flopped over. No flapping, no picking at the
people with his great beak, no clawing with his mighty talons-nothing.
David did a review of all symptoms, interviewed
the rescue team and determined it was a toxic ingestion problem as there
were no physical injuries. Initial review of circumstances revealed that
Freedom had regurgitated some fowl smelling substance where he was found and
again in the truck. This was brought in with Freedom for analysis. David
expressed even more of this material from Freedom’s crop by sticking his
finger down Freedom’s throat.
Everyone immediately grabbed their ears. The
easily identifiable call of the Bald eagle is deafening in enclosed spaces.
"He is alive! OK, let's get down to it."
Small cabinet drawers with medical supplies were
quickly opened and closed as David collected the necessary needles, tubs and
medications to treat this very sick bird. Blood was drawn from the wing so
samples could go to a laboratory to determine the toxic substance he
swallowed. A tube was shoved down his throat and a slurry of activated
charcoal was inserted into his digestive system to absorb any toxins still
in the system. An IV drip was started in his wing with the bag hung close to
a light bulb to warm it up from the 72 degrees of the room. A chemical
cocktail of drugs was pushed into the drip line to counter the still unknown
toxin. The mite infestation problem was treated with regular Sevin dust you
find in the local garden store. "Ok, it’s up to him now."
Everyone caught their breath. Now a more
detailed and leisurely inspection of the bird was possible as he was still
out cold and not caring whether he was touched or not. David noticed the
beak was misshapen by crossing. This apparently did not affect the birds'
ability to eat, as that was what brought him to this situation. Using a
small wood working tool, David reground the shape of the beak so the lower
mandible fit inside the upper mandible hook instead of under and around. The
sex of the bird was determined to be male by the size of the talons and that
he was a 3 year sub-adult with almost a full head of white feathers.
The bird was found about 4:30 p.m. It was now
7:00 p.m. It was Thursday.
The staff at Busch Wildlife Hospital put Freedom
in a large crate in the warmest room they had and said, "Call us tomorrow".
Friday's report: "He is standing but still
groggy."
By Monday he was ready to take David's head off.
GREAT! Mad and hungry. Freedom was kept away from humans as much as possible
with anticipation of returning him to the wild.
By Wednesday plans were solidified to get the
planned release on video tape and that the recovery team could be there.
Permission was requested and granted from many supervisors to let the
recovery teams members attend on company time. Exactly a week after his fall
from on high Freedom was scheduled for release.
On Thursday morning a phone notification web was
setup and we waited.
8:00 - "They said the team would leave about noon."
9:30 - "They should be leaving soon!"
10:15 -
"They are leaving now!"
11:00 -
"They should be out front any minute"; supervisors brought up to date and
cameras readied.
The caravan arrived lead by the Busch Wildlife
Sanctuary hospital van with Freedom inside being held by a Busch Wildlife staff member
and was wrapped in a light blue towel, his talons firmly gripped and his
head fitted with a hand made Prussian blue falcon type hood - all for his
safety and that of the team. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission staff made a rendezvous out front as well with Busch Wildlife as
Freedom was scheduled to be
tagged before release.
It took about 15 minutes for all parties to
gather and the small band of cars and vans filled with photographers,
environmentalists and recovery personnel drove off to a wild natural
area near where Freedom was found.
Everyone piled out of the vehicles. The Busch
Staffer carrying Freedom was escorted to the hood of the Florida Fish and
Wildlife staff vehicle. David helped Tim Reagan from FFW band the bird while
photographers jockeyed for position. After the banding, David picked Freedom
off the hood and explained to all that when released, Freedom would fly out
and then up and left and that it would be quick.
Finally the time had come. Freedom was ready.
His hood was removed. He looked around getting his bearings. The blue towel
that kept him safe was removed with care being taken to keep a secure grip
on his talons. Freedom tried out his corrected beak by trying to bite David.
There was a telltale stripe of charcoal on his face.
Ok every body ready? Any more pictures? All
right!
1- 2- 3!
Then there was the whir of the cameras--Click!
Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
– then the murmur of the attending crowd; you could almost hear "America
the Beautiful" in the background.
"Wow! That was great." "He was quick!" "That
gave me chills!"
Freedom flew just as David had predicted --
quickly out and a big circle west then south. The awestruck crowd quietly
clapped to the success of the re-introduction of Freedom, the bald eagle, to
the wild.
It was just a week from the day Freedom was
found, practically dead, to the day of release, very alive. Today is
9/11/03.
A good job done by all!
A heart felt thanks to the quick thinking of a
band of dedicated people to keep a very special bird alive. A VERY SPECIAL
THANK YOU to The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary with David Hitzig and his staff for
their medical expertise and for doing what they do.
We get phone reports now, "We saw our eagle
today". |
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Audubon Bird of Prey
Center needs your support in its mission to rehabilitate the injured and
care for the permanently injured raptors they have at the center. They
have recently revamped the
Audubon Adopt-a-Bird program, where individuals, families and classrooms can
adopt a species of raptor residing at the Center. All proceeds help
benefit the resident birds' care in addition to clinic admissions' medical
treatments. Adopt-a-Bird is an excellent and personal way to make a
significant contribution to these important species.
We invite you to adopt a species
or favorite bird, which you have seen here. Please take the time to
call us for an adopt brochure, 407-644-0190, or through their website link
below. We
appreciate it and look forward to you visiting Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
in the near future. Contact the Bird of Prey
Center through the link below.
Eagle Watch at Audubon of Florida
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