IMPORTANT Request for Volunteer Miami Gardens nest watchers (DA008)

[NewMexiKen]

Shawnlei Breeding, Audubon EagleWatch Program Manager is greatly concerned about the possibility that developers may (unintentionally) cause the Miami Gardens (Andover) eagles or their nest DA008 (Temp ID DA 981) to be disturbed or cause them to abandon it. The developers have been counseled about the necessary precautions, but it is of the utmost importance that one or more volunteers step forward to monitor the site. The nest itself is required to be protected, even when the eagles are not present or have not returned to breed in late September or early October. Since they have the permit to proceed, they will be held harmless if they follow the USFWS guidelines even if the eagles abandon the nest or are injured or killed. Shawnlei will provide the necessary orientation, training and reporting procedures.

Brian Rapoza, <[e-mail]>, who is Vice President/Field Trip Coordinator for Tropical Audubon Society is working to identify local birders willing to monitor the nest and submit online reports. He is seeking more information about the nest location and how to access it. Please contact him or Shawnlei if any of you can help with this task. I will be most useful if several watchers can coordinate their schedules to assure maximum coverage.

Again, The coordinates on Google Earth are: [  25.96331800, -80.21255000  ]  



Shawnlei writes:

Hello!

I’ve been informed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service that the developer recently applied for and received a federal eagle disturbance permit for their planned work near this nest. I have not seen a copy of the permit but the permit will outline what they can and cannot do at various distances from the nest when eagles are present and attempting to nest this fall.

Monitoring of this nest will be of the utmost importance to make sure they abide by the permit stipulations. Failure to abide by the permit stipulations is considered a federal violation. A local photographer occasionally reported to me what was happening near the nest last season, but EagleWatch does not have an assigned volunteer to monitor this nest. This location would definitely benefit from more consistent monitoring and reporting. The monitoring reports are necessary for Florida Fish and Wildlife to build a case against a developer if they are suspected of violating their permit. If you all know of anyone who would be willing to not only visit the nest but also submit reports in our online nest database, let me know!

Thank you so much!

—
Shawnlei Breeding
Audubon EagleWatch Program Manager
407.644.0190

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
1101 Audubon Way
Maitland, FL 32751