Finding the Pembroke Pines Eagle Nest

[NewMexiKen]

The following information was prepared by Barry Heimlich and posted earlier. I have corrected some problems with the formatting of the message. Ken

Location: The nest is located in Pembroke Pines, Florida in a tall Australian Pine Tree, about 150’-200’ south of Pines Blvd. between 208th and 209th Avenues.



Parking: Parking is allowed on the shoulder and off the road of the westbound side of Pines Blvd. between 208th and 209th Avenues. Parking is not allowed on the south side of Pines Boulevard. Parking is prohibited on the shoulders of NW 209th and 208th Avenues (north of Pines Boulevard).

Viewing Spot: One of the best viewing spots is on the north side of Pines Blvd. about 12’ to 15’ (4 to 5 paces) west of the School Zone sign (photo below) at the beginning of the westbound right turn lane heading toward the intersection of 209th Avenue.



Finding the Nest: Looking south, preferably with binoculars, find the Nest Tree, which is a tall 3-stemmed Australian Pine Tree about 150’ back from the road, slightly to the left of the No Parking sign. The nest is in the crotch of the tree where the large stems of the tree meet.



See The photo below. Another spotting aid is the yellow curly-cue on the third power line wire from the top. The curly-cues were installed by FPL to help the eagles see and avoid hitting the power lines. The nest can be seen just below and slightly to the left of the curly-cue. The nest is just above the top of a Melaleuca Tree that is in front of the Nest Tree. At times the top of the Melaleuca Tree sways in the wind and blocks the view of the Nest.



Appearance of the Nest: The Nest is a large construction of horizontally aligned branches in the crotch of the tree. You may or may not see the adult eagles or the eaglet, but be patient. The eaglet often sticks its head up to look for its parents. Rarely does a half hour go by before at least one of the adult eagles comes to the nest, usually with prey to feed the baby. The presence of an adult makes sighting the nest much easier because of its large size, dark brown nearly black body, and its snow white head and tail.



Keep Your Eyes Open: Watch out for the adult eagles flying to and from the nest and overhead. Sometimes an adult will perch in a branch above the nest or on a nearly tree. Also, the adults often perch on top of one of the dead Malaleuca Trees south of the intersection of 209th Avenue and Pines Blvd. These are large, majestic birds with a 7’ wingspan.