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This post was updated on .
Hello EagleWatchers!
My name is Shawnlei Breeding and I am the new EagleWatch Program Coordinator. Reinier Munguia has done an amazing job as the interim coordinator this past year, and I am so grateful for all of his hard work and enhancements to our program! He has been training me to get me up to speed quickly, so I thank you for your patience as I learn the processes.
The Bald Eagle breeding season is here, and many of you are eager to visit your nest(s) to check on your eagles. This is a very exciting moment for all EagleWatch volunteers and I want to take the opportunity to remind you of a few simple rules:
1. EagleWatch volunteers are citizen scientists that collect data on breeding eagles. This data is very important to evaluate reproductive success and trends of the eagle population in Florida. If for any reason you're unable to monitor your nest(s) this season, or have to stop some time during the season please let us know by sending an email to eaglewatch@audubon.org so I can assign another volunteer to cover your nest.
2. Always keep the minimum safe distance (330') from the nest when doing your observations, especially on isolated nests that have little exposure to human activities.
3. Always use the best practices and educate others on the proper conduct near a nest. If you ever have to warn anybody about the proper conduct; do it in a polite manner.
4. Obey all no trespassing signs and rules set by landowners.
5. Reduce the impact on the nesting birds. Some critical nests may only tolerate one visit every other week. If more than one volunteer is monitoring the same nest, keep contact with the other volunteer to avoid multiple visits during the same week.
6. EagleWatchers should always follow the EagleWatch Etiquette that can be downloaded at: http://eaglewatchflorida.org/pdfs/EagleWatchEtiquette.pdf
7. Reinier Munguia will continue to be involved with injured eagle rescues and nest site violations. For after-hours assistance with these matters, you may contact him via his cell phone at 863-797-7374.
Below you will find a link to download a copy of the new EagleWatch Training Manual. Please take your time to review it.
Audubon EagleWatch Training Manual: http://eaglewatchflorida.org/pdfs/EagleWatch%20Training%20Manua%20v3-2016.pdf
Nest observations are now being entered via the online nest data portal at http://eaglewatchflorida.org/.
Additional instructions on how to use this feature and can be found on the data portal website.
If you experience any issues accessing or using the system, don't hesitate to contact me . Your use of the online data portal is the most efficient and immediate way for us to track the status of Bald Eagle nests in FL, so I thank you in advance for using the data portal to enter your observations.
Thank you for caring and taking time out of your busy schedules to help monitor nests. I look forward to seeing your data entries come through the portal and working together to protect Bald Eagles!
Sincerely,
Shawnlei Breeding
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