Watching a Bald Eagle Nest
By Ken Schneider
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This page provides an ongoing acount of observations of the first active Bald Eagle nest in Broward County, Florida, since their population suffered a dramatic decline in the lower 48 States in the middle of the 20th Century. Only one other Bald Eagle nest had ever been reported in Broward County during the 21st Century. That nest was deep in the Everglades on the Miccosukee Reservation, but it was never found to contain eggs or young birds. More remarkably, this pair selected the City of Pembroke Pines for its homesite. They raised at least one eaglet during the winter and spring of 2007-2008, despite the hazards of nesting very close to densly populated housing developments, a major thoroughfare, a police shooting range and the new West Broward High School. Here, we will report on the eagles, to see whether they can succeed in raising another family at the same site. We will also follow the plans of a group of Middle School science students, as they develop and implement a study to determine whether and how traffic density may affect the birds' behavior.   

PEMBROKE PINES TAKES ACTION TO PROTECT THE BALD EAGLES (Highlights)
SPREADSHEET OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING EACH BREEDING SEASON (PDF)
OBSERVATIONS FROM 2008-2009 Breeding Season
NEW LINK: PROTECTING THE EAGLE NEST SITE
LINKS: HISTORY OF THE BALD EAGLE NEST
BALD EAGLE SANCTUARY STEERING COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS (PDF):

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SELECTIONS FROM KEN'S BLOGS <Index to all Blogs>

Eagles migrate in opposite directions while fish move up and down

Eagle Flying 20090203Those of us who have been watching our local pair of Bald Eagles and their progeny for the past three breeding seasons are well aware that our Florida eagles are "contrarians" when it comes to migration. While nearly all other migratory birds head south after nesting and rearing their young, our local eagles do just the opposite-- they turn north. Well, this is not exactly the case, as Florida's adult Bald Eagles, especially those from the southernmost end of the peninsula, don't exhibit as much wanderlust during the non-breeding season. Generally, the adults tend to move about locally, or at most, regionally in the lower third of the Sunshine State, while younger (especially first-year) birds often become long-distance travelers...  » Read full article on[Rosyfinch Ramblings]

Who “Owns” the Eagles?

Eagle Pair at Nest 20081211When a pair of Bald Eagles decided to set up housekeeping in a tall Australian Pine just off busy Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines, Florida, they initiated an interesting chain of events. They were first "discovered" in March of 2008 by Kelly Smith, a local Middle School science teacher, who saw adults and a nearly full grown eaglet in the nest. For a year or two before that, several local residents (and even a bus driver who regularly ran the Pines Boulevard route) had seen eagles roosting and carrying nest materials and prey in that general location. All known Bald Eagle nests in Florida are registered by the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and their locations are pinpointed on the FWC Web site, but the majority of South Florida residents are unaware that, among the lower 48 states, Florida is second only to Minnesota in the number of active eagle nests.... » Read full article on[Rosyfinch Ramblings]

Eagles and Power linesAn essential ingredient of Bald Eagles' breeding habitat is the presence of suitable roost trees within sight of the nest. Our local pair of eagles is no exception, and they favor three or four tall Australian Pines along Pines Boulevard, as well as the trunks of melaleuca trees in the SW Florida Water Management District land just to the west of the proposed City of Pembroke Pines Bald Eagle sanctuary. These exotic trees were all killed by herbicides a few years ago. The are badly decayed and many fall down with each windstorm. As these roosting sites disappear, we can expect the eagles to seek out other prominent perches, such as power poles. Electrocution and collision with power lines are major causes of urban Bald Eagle mortality. On June 11, Bald Eagle Sanctuary Steering Committee members Barry Heimlich of South Florida Audubon, and veteran eagle watcher Trisha Norton met at the site of the Pembroke Pines nest with Doug Macke, Florida Power & Light Company Broward Area Power Systems Environmental Coordinator, to discuss this hazard. They were pleased to learn that Doug had been observing the eagles since last year, when the nest was first "discovered," and the company had already taken some action. » Read full article on[Rosyfinch Ramblings]


SUMMARY OF KEY OBSERVATIONS DURING EACH BALD EAGLE BREEDING SEASON (2007-Present)

REPORTED OBSERVATIONS2007-20082008-20092009-20102010-20112011-2012
DateDateHatch Day
(+/-)
DateHatch Day
(+/-)
DateHatch Day
(+/-)
DateHatch Day
(+/-)
Florida FWC registered nest9 APR 2008*--------
Adult eagles first seen at nest-02 DEC 2008-22 SEP 2009-01 SEP 2010-05 OCT 2011-
Nest construction/revision-03 DEC 2008-23 SEP 2009-16 OCT 2010-05 OCT 2011-
Copulation observed4 DEC 2007--13 DEC 2009-29 NOV 2010---
First egg laid (estimated)-13 DEC 2008-3518 DEC 2009-3411 DEC 2010-3511 DEC 2011-35
First egg hatched (estimated)-17 JAN 2009022 JAN 2010015 JAN 2011015 JAN 20120***
First eaglet seen15 MAR 2008**09 FEB 2009*2309 FEB 2010*1822 JAN 2011*702 FEB 2012*18
Second eaglet seen-15 FEB 2009**2909 FEB 2010**1829 JAN 2011*14--
Third eaglet seen---09 FEB 2010***18----
Branching /helicoptering-27 MAR 20096905 APR 20107316 MAR 201160Never observed-
First eaglet fledged-04 APR 20097713 APR 20108124 MAR 20116823 MAR 2012**62 to 68***
Second eaglet fledged-06 APR 20097918 APR 20108626 MAR 201170--
Third eaglet fledged---23 APR 201091----
Last feeding on nest-01 JUN 2009135--20 MAR 2011---
Last eaglet seen on nest01 JUN 200913510 MAY 201010811 APR 201186--
Last eaglet seen near nest-04 JUN 200913810 JUN 201013927 APR 2011102--
Last adult reported on/near nest14 JUL 2009-20 JUN 2010-No report---

INTERVALS (DAYS)

EVENTS2008-20092009-20102010-20112011-2012AVERAGEMEANREMARKS
Period between adult arrival and egg layingUnknown8756677071.5Data collection commenced  after adults arrived in 2008
Incubation period3534353534.7534.5-
Age when first eaglet fledged778168~65 (62-68)~72.75~73Age of 2011-2012 eaglet estimated 
Days between first branching and eaglet fledging888N/A88Branching not observed 2011-2012
Age of eaglet when last seen at nest138139102~64 (61-67)126.33120.52011-2012 data not included in avg/mean (fledgling eaglet not observed)
Eaglet remained at nest after fledging612734N/A40.6644.0-

NOTES

2007-20082008-20092009-20102010-2011
Names  given to eaglets
(Middle School Contest
 2009-10 and 20010-11)
* FWC Aerial survey
** "P Piney 1"
* "Hope"
** "Justice"
* "Lucky"
** "Chance"
*** "Courage
* "P Piney 7"
** "P Piney 8"

* "P Piney 9"
** mortality assumed; ground search 30 MAR did not locate it
***this eaglet may have hatched 2-6 days after the first or second egg hatched or failed

Disturbances-20 FEB 2009 Miami Herald article
 attracted crowds to nest; City
subsequently placed fence and
parking restrictions in front of nest
-15 MAY 2011 Roadway
construction  in front of
nest STARTED
01 OCT 2012  Roadway
construction  COMPLETED
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Bald Eagles of Broward County, Florida