An Eagle Update
Hearing rumors of a destroyed eagles' nest near Goodyear Lake, Francine Stayter contacted Scott Van Arsdale of the DEC.
Here is current information from Scott Van Arsdale of the DEC on our area eagles along with a request to all eagle watchers:
"The storm did take out most of the nest, and I have the remains of one egg from it. I scoped the area yesterday and didn't see any signs of rebuilding- at the destroyed nest or another location. It is possible they are attempting to re-nest, but they better do it soon as the last recorded date for the start of incubation in NY is April 26th. I'd be most interested if anybody in the area reports adults flying with nesting material.Let's hope the eagles renest in our area. They are one of our treasures."
I asked Scott about eagle behaviour in the event of a lost nest.
"Yes, they will stay in the same general area, usually withing a half-mile. I'd expect them to stay on that same hillside, but they could move somewhere else, like along the lake shore somewhere. If they don't do a "recycle" this year, they will probably start building next year's nest sometime before next winter."
If you see an eagle carrying nesting material or you spot them building a nest, pls. contact us at www.goodyearlake.org. Thanks.
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drew Rossman of the Paddle Shack saw eagles carrying nesting material & this was verified by Scott from DEC & it looks like a new nest is in the making. Go Team!!!
THE GOODYEAR LAKE EAGLES
It’s a girl!
On May 18, 2007 Scott Van Arsdale from the NY DEC banded the newest arrival in our area nest. She’s about 3 ½ weeks old and very healthy. The March storms seemed to have affected the number of new eagles born this year. We are grateful that our nest was successful.
Earlier this month one of our 2005 eagles was killed on the road in Sullivan County.
-Francine Stayter-
There is a slide show of this gal under "Banding"
Have to share the following pictures with everyone. These photographs by David Lintner are of Goodyear Lake's own "baby girl" eagle, now fully fledged and living in northern Maryland state, at Conowingo Dam, near where the Susquehanna empties into the Chesapeake Bay. These pictures are copyrighted by David who has kindly given us permission to show them here. They are not to be copied or used in any other media. One beautiful girl, yes? Good hunting, baby!!
One of the resident bald eagles living near Goodyear Lake. One of the bands on the eagle is blue,
indicating that this is a native New York State eagle, and not one that has been introduced into
the area from another state.
Eagle by Jerry Osterhoudt
Fledgling on the wire by Bruce Shultis
The following shots provided by Gordon & Connie Gale show the eagles of Alaska. Remarkable!
Our Bald Eagles
Since 2001 we have been thrilled by the sight of bald eagles on and about Goodyear Lake. There are three nesting pairs of bald eagles in Otsego County, and we are fortunate that one pair nests near our area. Scott Van Arsdale of the Department of Environmental Conservation has generously provided information about and photographs of our ravishing raptors.
Eagles in New York State
By 1976 New York had only one nesting pair of eagles in the state. There were no young eagles because the eggs would collapse before hatching. The DDT build up in the adult bodies led to thin egg shells that collapsed during incubation. In addition, more and more prime nesting areas were being taken over by development.
Through an amazing effort the DEC biologists did two things to keep the eagles from extinction:
- Hacking – young , non-native eagles brought here from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and the US Fish & Wildlife Service captive breeding facility at Patuxent, Maryland were hand reared to independence and released. Later, young eagles from Alaska were brought to New York for hacking. The nesting pair in our area came here as a result of that hacking process.
- Manipulation of the state's only remaining native pair to foster young. Biologists would remove the doomed eggs from the nest and substitute a captive-bred chick.
By 1989 there were 10 breeding pairs of eagles in the state. Today there are 80 nesting pairs, including the three in Otsego County. Our nesting pair chose our area.
You can read more about this amazing project of restoring eagles to New York State at:
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/eaglerestore.html
CHRONOLGY OF THE GOODYEAR LAKE EAGLES
New York #64 Bald Eagle Nest
- 2001- Nesting attempt failed, unknown reason. Failure during first nesting attempt is fairly common.
- 2002- Two eaglets banded.
- 2004- Pair used a new nest a short distance from the original. 2 eaglets banded.
- 2006- New nest short distance from ‘05 nest. ‘05 nest either down or sticks used for the new nest. Two eaglets.
- 2007 - Same nest as in 2006. One hatchling survives as S04 tag.
It is very important that people avoid disturbing the eagles anytime, but particularly during the winter and nesting. Nests fail in New York every year because people get too close to the nest and disturb the adults. In the photo section is a photo of sign sometimes posted in a nest vicinity. Key verbiage from the sign:
“Approaching the nest or perched eagles closer than 350 feet constitutes illegal disturbance and may cause nest abandonment: DO NOT APPROACH!! Bald Eagles are protected under New York State and Federal Law. Persons may be arrested and fined for killing, harassing, or in any way disturbing birds nesting in this area, with penalties up to $100,000 fine and 1 year imprisonment.”
People on foot cause the most disturbance. It is not feasible to keep all people 350' away from the current NY # 64 due to its current location, but people on foot should try to avoid the nest area as much as possible and travel through quickly if they can’t avoid the area entirely. Intentionally approaching the area to get closer to the nest/eagles would violate the law.
Eagle Etiquette
It is important to remember that the key to supporting bald eagles is up to us. State law requires that people do not disturb eagle nesting areas. This is especially important because disturbing nesting birds is one of the chief reasons that breeding fails. Enjoy these wonderful creatures through the lens of your binoculars or scope. Our actions are critical to the survival and expansion of bald eagles in our area.
Failure to respect the distance boundaries is subject to fines up to $20,000 and/or one year in jail.
Tips to remember when viewing eagles
People on foot disturb eagles and cause them to fly.
Refrain from loud noises, honking horns, slamming doors, etc.
Leave your pets at home and/or away from perched birds.
Respect private property and restricted areas.
Eagle sightings are more likely in morning or at dusk when eagles are most active
Don't try to make the birds fly. (This is considered harassment!)
(Melissa Albino, The Conservationist, Dec. 20005)
To read more:
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/vieweagle.html
For lots of eagle info go to the website below:
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/baldeagle.html
THE EAGLES OF GOODYEAR LAKE GROW UP
Please note that all of the following pictures were taken by DEC personnel trained in the proper management of the fragile eagle population. All pictures are the property of NYS DEC and are used here with their kind permission. The pictures, top to bottom, represent years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Please respect the eagles' space. They need it to survive!!