Were there any crowds around the nest this past weekend? And VOTE!

[NewMexiKen]

Just returned to Florida from Illinois. We have a meeting of the Eagle Sanctuary Steering Committee this Thursday. I know that the veteran eagle watchers have been avoiding the nest area on weekends in order not to attract attention, but wonder if the fascination is wearing off (and the publicity has waned), and hopefully we are not experiencing as great a problem with pedestrians this breeding season. Maybe the more limited visibility of the nest is helping as well. Can anyone else provide an evaluation of this?

Oh-- and Wednesday is the last day to vote for the eagles' names, if you haven't already done so! We have had nearly 300 votes from more than 30  of the 50 States.

[Kelly Smith]

The activity around the nest site is much less than last year!  Most of the time I can not see any cars parked at the nest site as I return home in the evening, and when I have stopped by on the weekend there is either no one else there, or just a few people.  Last weekend the activity may have increased a bit, as it is the end of the quarter and I offered extra credit to my students for their observations.  

[Trisha]

I agree with your evaluation of the pedestrian situation, Ken. It does seem as if the public visitation has somewhat waned.......at least when I am there. The visibility of the nest is definitely limited by the growth of the Maleleucas.  It also seems as if each time I visit it is quite windy, which impacts the visibility as well with the trees all moving!

I have not been going by on weekends, avoiding the problem of last year when cars stopped in the traffic lanes asking for an eagle report. I wish parking was permitted in the paved area west of the nest on the south side as you are far enough from the road to feel safe and people don't stop in traffic for questioning when you are over there. I think last years crowds were in part caused by the fact that someone was almost always there watching. People see someone there with binoculars and stop and the crowd grows. I think the public enjoyed hearing about the eagles from the watchers that came more often and since this year we are trying not to attract attention due to safety concerns and with the lack of parking, the volume of visitors is lower. I think that is a shame as so many people last year were educated about the eagles and their environment and hopefully something can be worked out in the future so that the appreciation of nature can again be fostered through the eagles.