Eagle Nest Visit 2-20-2021

[Rockitglider]

Hello,

I visited the nest in the afternoon and there was so many people there I couldn't believe it. I was glad to see so much interest in the Eagles, and for the most part the eagles seem to tolerate all the action. I was told by a friend that there was one lady that went under the nest and the adults started freaking out and vocalizing, I didn't see this for my self but I do believe him and I have had to try to educate others that got too close to the nest and for the most part the people I try to educate about the birds and the distances that are in place to protect the nesting birds and they understand mostly. So please try to educate people about the 330 feet and about the eagles in general and I think you will get a good response from the encounter if you do it nicely and politely, and might meet someone new in the process, and we will be a step closer to protecting these eagles, they are getting famous, and I think it will only get more crowded as time goes on.

Another think I saw and got a shot of was one of the adults chasing off a Red Tailed Hawk from flying to close to the nest while the other adult was in the nest feeding the chicks. It was exciting!

[naturegirl]

I think caution tape should be put up to remind people to stay by the road pull off area. i saw that bruce posted a photo of them on ebird of course hoards of birders will now show up. I just gave an interview to the palm beach post about this very thing of harassment by birders (this was a terrible mess at loxahatchee with the nesting owls)

Kit how many people were there and were they the tripod group that stay for hours and only care about the picture not the animals ?

[Rockitglider]

Hi Naturegirl,

There was 5 suv's and me, lots of kids too, and I don't know what group they were, but the ebird thing explains it, anytime someone reports a rare bird on that app they get swamped with photographers. I saw thet in Delray for a rare bird at the bike trail, although I didn't get to see it there was hundreds of people that did or say they did. I forget what kind of bird it was some kind of cookoo bird. I saw a pic of it and didn't really understand the hype, very plain looking. I hope the eagles are okay with the people and that the people stay back from the nest. If they could put caution tape up, I'm not sure who would do it, I will email the Eagle Watch program director for suggestions.

Kit

[naturegirl]

I never post about anything on ebird and I know of a few nesting animals people would love to see but you can't trust people to behave.  see if the park or eagle watch can do anything. i stay in my suv and only stay 20-30 mins just to confirm the family is all well and active that's it

Lox refuge had to close an area because idiots were harassing the owls. Here is a copied and pasted article I and others were interviewed about regarding animal harassment (it was in the palm beach post last week ) Here is the article -


The great horned owls chose poorly when they nested in the C-6 parking lot at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – a conspicuous location that attracted some ill-mannered fans, and, ultimately, prompted a 911 call.

It’s a convenient spot for the owls, a nest abandoned by red-shouldered hawks, and in a soaring oak tree good for spotting prey. But the perch, which is also near a popular pavilion, put the big raptors on display for everyone from avian paparazzi to looky-loos curious about the hubbub.

A late January hatching of owlets heightened the clamor at the refuge west of Boynton Beach.

“I have heard people were using laser pointers, played recorded owl calls to try and get them to look a certain way, and there was a man hooting at the bottom of the nest,” said Rolf Olson, a project leader at the refuge. “We have thousands of acres the owls can nest in, and in a lot of it they would never see a person, but for some reason, they chose a nest right here where the people are.”

Refuge employees set up a barricade at the oak tree's drip line Jan. 27 to minimize owl harassment. A week later, the commotion escalated.

“There was an altercation between some non-owl people and owl people,” Olson said. “At that point, we just closed the area.”

Officials had to put up a barricade to keep people out of a pavilion where great horned owls were nesting at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. GREG LOVETT / PALM BEACH POST
Nature lovers gone wild
It’s not the first time the Loxahatchee Refuge – the last remaining intact piece of the northern Everglades – has had to wrangle swarms of nature lovers like nightclub bouncers at red velvet ropes.

In 2018, a popular fishing area was closed temporarily after alligators accustomed to getting free meals from humans became aggressive, chasing one man, and trying to jump in the boat of another. Before that, Olson remembers another pair of owls that nested near the main road of the refuge, causing traffic jams. People taking pictures used flashes in the dark that sparked as bright as a lightning storm, Olson said.

“Who doesn’t want to see owls or baby owls? We understand,” said Loxahatchee Park Ranger Veronica Kelly about the current nest in lot C-6. “But there were hordes of photographers over there.”

Bob Gibson, a former advertising executive turned photographer and teacher, said he was taught early on about the ethics of nature photography when he was scolded after getting too close to a nest. And while it is tempting to play bird sounds on your cellphone to get an animal’s attention, the Tequesta resident now follows strict rules – limited use of flashes, no bird calls, no treats to attract the animals and no social media posts publicizing a nest’s location.

“Instagram and Facebook are so powerful that within days you can attract a group of people,” Gibson said. “The idea is to hike quietly through nature and when you come upon something beautiful, don’t disrupt its life.”

A man shoots photographs from the boardwalk of Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach last year.
Still, he said people come from all over the country to popular parks like Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach and Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands in suburban Boynton Beach where boardwalks take visitors extra close to nesting birds.

In some cases, repeat nesters have grown accustomed to the audience, said Scott Zucker, president of Audubon Everglades in Palm Beach County.

He said that’s particularly true at Wakodahatchee, where people may get the wrong impression that it’s OK to get right next to a nest because the birds there aren’t overly disturbed by people.

Baby wood storks peek out of their nest under the protective cover of their mother at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach in March 2018.
It’s not unusual to see 30 photographers elbow-to-elbow at Wakodahatchee or Green Cay, Gibson said.

“I don’t think there are roving gangs of bad photographers, but, like anything, people that work at these parks, or are regulars, are very protective of the animals,” he said.

'It's about having that perfect shot'
In 2016, Green Cay had a similar experience as the Loxahatchee Refuge with a pair of screech owls that nested in a hollow palm tree trunk that was about three feet from the boardwalk.

Photographers brought long sticks so they could get pictures down into the tree cavity, they moved palm fronds out of the way to expose the hollow, and used flashes “right in the owls’ faces,” said Bobby Seals, a Green Cay Nature Center manager.

“One day, someone brought a ladder and walked it all the way out onto the boardwalk,” Seals said. “For some people, it's not about the experience or the animals, it's about having that perfect shot.”

Green Cay put up a lattice fence to protect the owls. People could still look through it, but not pester the nest.

“There were quite a few verbal confrontations between people who had issues with what the other people were doing,” Seals said.

Boca Raton resident Staci-Lee Sherwood remembers getting into an argument with a photographer who wanted her to move so he could get a better picture of the screech owls at Green Cay. At 5-foot-2, she said the man could easily shoot over her head.

“They were standing on the railings throwing things at the tree to get the screech owls to pop their heads out,” said Sherwood, a nature lover who worked counting sea turtle nests for several years. “Most of the people are respectful, but not everyone.”

When Sherwood heard about the nest at Loxahatchee, she wanted to check it out.

Great horned owls are particularly popular. They are the largest Florida owl, and known for being aggressive. They often lay their eggs in abandoned nests, or outright steal nests from other birds, including bald eagles. As raptors, they are protected by federal and state law.

Although the great horned owl nest is in a tree next to a sidewalk, Sherwood thought it was obscured enough by branches to deter photographers. Instead, she saw them using hawk calls to get a reaction.

“Hawks and owls do not get along," Sherwood said. "We want everyone to appreciate nature. We just can’t trust that everyone is going to behave."


It’s especially harmful to disturb a bird when it is fledging chicks because it is constantly hunting for food, feeding the young or cleaning the nest, said Kelly, the Loxahatchee park ranger.

Owls, which are mostly nocturnal, will hunt through the day when they have babies to feed, making them more visible — a treat for Audubon enthusiasts.

It was near 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4 when some people pulled into C-6 and began playing music that the crowd gathered to view the owls thought was too loud.


Someone called 911, noting th10 to 12 people were involved in what a dispatcher said sounded like an “escalating” situation.

Olson said the refuge’s federal wildlife officers were able to defuse the argument, but it did trigger the closure of the parking area and pavilion.  “We're a national wildlife refuge. Wildlife comes first," Olson said.

If you subscribe to the post here is the link with photos https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2021/02/14/owl-harassment-closes-part-lox-refuge/4434610001/

[Stylechick60]

Wow.  Thank you for This article.    Unfortunately, man always ruins it for someone else.   

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 23, 2021, at 2:36 PM, naturegirl [via Bald Eagles of Broward County, Florida] <[hidden email]> wrote:

 I never post about anything on ebird and I know of a few nesting animals people would love to see but you can't trust people to behave.  see if the park or eagle watch can do anything. i stay in my suv and only stay 20-30 mins just to confirm the family is all well and active that's it

Lox refuge had to close an area because idiots were harassing the owls. Here is a copied and pasted article I and others were interviewed about regarding animal harassment (it was in the palm beach post last week ) Here is the article -


The great horned owls chose poorly when they nested in the C-6 parking lot at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – a conspicuous location that attracted some ill-mannered fans, and, ultimately, prompted a 911 call.

It’s a convenient spot for the owls, a nest abandoned by red-shouldered hawks, and in a soaring oak tree good for spotting prey. But the perch, which is also near a popular pavilion, put the big raptors on display for everyone from avian paparazzi to looky-loos curious about the hubbub.

A late January hatching of owlets heightened the clamor at the refuge west of Boynton Beach.

“I have heard people were using laser pointers, played recorded owl calls to try and get them to look a certain way, and there was a man hooting at the bottom of the nest,” said Rolf Olson, a project leader at the refuge. “We have thousands of acres the owls can nest in, and in a lot of it they would never see a person, but for some reason, they chose a nest right here where the people are.”

Refuge employees set up a barricade at the oak tree's drip line Jan. 27 to minimize owl harassment. A week later, the commotion escalated.

“There was an altercation between some non-owl people and owl people,” Olson said. “At that point, we just closed the area.”

Officials had to put up a barricade to keep people out of a pavilion where great horned owls were nesting at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. GREG LOVETT / PALM BEACH POST
Nature lovers gone wild
It’s not the first time the Loxahatchee Refuge – the last remaining intact piece of the northern Everglades – has had to wrangle swarms of nature lovers like nightclub bouncers at red velvet ropes.

In 2018, a popular fishing area was closed temporarily after alligators accustomed to getting free meals from humans became aggressive, chasing one man, and trying to jump in the boat of another. Before that, Olson remembers another pair of owls that nested near the main road of the refuge, causing traffic jams. People taking pictures used flashes in the dark that sparked as bright as a lightning storm, Olson said.

“Who doesn’t want to see owls or baby owls? We understand,” said Loxahatchee Park Ranger Veronica Kelly about the current nest in lot C-6. “But there were hordes of photographers over there.”

Bob Gibson, a former advertising executive turned photographer and teacher, said he was taught early on about the ethics of nature photography when he was scolded after getting too close to a nest. And while it is tempting to play bird sounds on your cellphone to get an animal’s attention, the Tequesta resident now follows strict rules – limited use of flashes, no bird calls, no treats to attract the animals and no social media posts publicizing a nest’s location.

“Instagram and Facebook are so powerful that within days you can attract a group of people,” Gibson said. “The idea is to hike quietly through nature and when you come upon something beautiful, don’t disrupt its life.”

A man shoots photographs from the boardwalk of Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach last year.
Still, he said people come from all over the country to popular parks like Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach and Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands in suburban Boynton Beach where boardwalks take visitors extra close to nesting birds.

In some cases, repeat nesters have grown accustomed to the audience, said Scott Zucker, president of Audubon Everglades in Palm Beach County.

He said that’s particularly true at Wakodahatchee, where people may get the wrong impression that it’s OK to get right next to a nest because the birds there aren’t overly disturbed by people.

Baby wood storks peek out of their nest under the protective cover of their mother at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach in March 2018.
It’s not unusual to see 30 photographers elbow-to-elbow at Wakodahatchee or Green Cay, Gibson said.

“I don’t think there are roving gangs of bad photographers, but, like anything, people that work at these parks, or are regulars, are very protective of the animals,” he said.

'It's about having that perfect shot'
In 2016, Green Cay had a similar experience as the Loxahatchee Refuge with a pair of screech owls that nested in a hollow palm tree trunk that was about three feet from the boardwalk.

Photographers brought long sticks so they could get pictures down into the tree cavity, they moved palm fronds out of the way to expose the hollow, and used flashes “right in the owls’ faces,” said Bobby Seals, a Green Cay Nature Center manager.

“One day, someone brought a ladder and walked it all the way out onto the boardwalk,” Seals said. “For some people, it's not about the experience or the animals, it's about having that perfect shot.”

Green Cay put up a lattice fence to protect the owls. People could still look through it, but not pester the nest.

“There were quite a few verbal confrontations between people who had issues with what the other people were doing,” Seals said.

Boca Raton resident Staci-Lee Sherwood remembers getting into an argument with a photographer who wanted her to move so he could get a better picture of the screech owls at Green Cay. At 5-foot-2, she said the man could easily shoot over her head.

“They were standing on the railings throwing things at the tree to get the screech owls to pop their heads out,” said Sherwood, a nature lover who worked counting sea turtle nests for several years. “Most of the people are respectful, but not everyone.”

When Sherwood heard about the nest at Loxahatchee, she wanted to check it out.

Great horned owls are particularly popular. They are the largest Florida owl, and known for being aggressive. They often lay their eggs in abandoned nests, or outright steal nests from other birds, including bald eagles. As raptors, they are protected by federal and state law.

Although the great horned owl nest is in a tree next to a sidewalk, Sherwood thought it was obscured enough by branches to deter photographers. Instead, she saw them using hawk calls to get a reaction.

“Hawks and owls do not get along," Sherwood said. "We want everyone to appreciate nature. We just can’t trust that everyone is going to behave."


It’s especially harmful to disturb a bird when it is fledging chicks because it is constantly hunting for food, feeding the young or cleaning the nest, said Kelly, the Loxahatchee park ranger.

Owls, which are mostly nocturnal, will hunt through the day when they have babies to feed, making them more visible — a treat for Audubon enthusiasts.

It was near 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4 when some people pulled into C-6 and began playing music that the crowd gathered to view the owls thought was too loud.


Someone called 911, noting th10 to 12 people were involved in what a dispatcher said sounded like an “escalating” situation.

Olson said the refuge’s federal wildlife officers were able to defuse the argument, but it did trigger the closure of the parking area and pavilion.  “We're a national wildlife refuge. Wildlife comes first," Olson said.

If you subscribe to the post here is the link with photos https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2021/02/14/owl-harassment-closes-part-lox-refuge/4434610001/

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[Rockitglider]

Okay,

I emailed her and I am now trying to email Evan at the park to find out who owns the land the tree is on and who owns the property around the nest. I was going to see if Evan can post one of his Eagle signs that he already has made up to use for now, because it has the viewing distances on the sign, the only problem is the text might not be seen from the side of the road. I'll keep you all posted.

[naturegirl]

Thx for any help I like the idea of signs