Bald eagle euthanized

[Bill M]

I have gone down and photographed these birds the past couple of years. Very unfortunate. I wonder if the nest will be torn down now as even if the other bird gets a new mate, the nest may be gone by the time they return. Hope developers will give it time.

http://m.chron.com/woodlands/news/article/Injured-bald-eagle-in-The-Woodlands-euthanized-12268060.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&cmpid=email-mobile

[AntlerCollector]

Sad deal for a beautiful bird.

[kornsqueezer]

That sucks! There used to be a nesting pair on upper end of Lake Houston. Haven’t heard wether they are still there.

[WItoTX]

Why would a developer care about a nest?

Side note "Eagles usually feed on fish but can sometimes feed on roadkill if fish populations grow smaller". That's factually inaccurate. Eagles are scavengers more so than hunters. Drive a road up north, and you will see more eagles on roadkill, or dead anything, than you ever will fishing. Good work Houston Chron.

That is why Ben Franklin didn't want an Eagle as our national bird.

[Bill M]

Why would a developer care about a nest?

Side note "Eagles usually feed on fish but can sometimes feed on roadkill if fish populations grow smaller". That's factually inaccurate. Eagles are scavengers more so than hunters. Drive a road up north, and you will see more eagles on roadkill, or dead anything, than you ever will fishing. Good work Houston Chron.

That is why Ben Franklin didn't want an Eagle as our national bird.

Developers wouldn't care about the nest, that's my point. I do care about this bit of wild in the midst of civilization as many do. Yes they are more scavenger. They are as common as sparrows further north and northwest. Not sure what the point of your post is.

[WItoTX]

Developers wouldn't care about the nest, that's my point. I do care about this bit of wild in the midst of civilization as many do. Yes they are more scavenger. They are as common as sparrows further north and northwest. Not sure what the point of your post is.

Gotcha. I didn't understand the point of developers caring about the nest, especially an empty one. There is a process to follow if a tree has a nest in it, include long term studies. We had to do this with transmission lines a lot. Usually included lots of streamers/ribbons, etc once the bird vacated the nest, followed by verification anywhere from a month to a year later that the bird had not come back. With eagles, I imagine its quite a long time.

The point of my second comment is that who ever the Chron quoted is way off, which is typical of the newspaper of record in Houston.

[denimdeerslayer]

Why would a developer care about a nest?

Side note "Eagles usually feed on fish but can sometimes feed on roadkill if fish populations grow smaller". That's factually inaccurate. Eagles are scavengers more so than hunters. Drive a road up north, and you will see more eagles on roadkill, or dead anything, than you ever will fishing. Good work Houston Chron.

That is why Ben Franklin didn't want an Eagle as our national bird.

But if ole Ben had his way we couldnt hunt thunder chickens.

[Bill M]

Gotcha. I didn't understand the point of developers caring about the nest, especially an empty one. There is a process to follow if a tree has a nest in it, include long term studies. We had to do this with transmission lines a lot. Usually included lots of streamers/ribbons, etc once the bird vacated the nest, followed by verification anywhere from a month to a year later that the bird had not come back. With eagles, I imagine its quite a long time.

The point of my second comment is that who ever the Chron quoted is way off, which is typical of the newspaper of record in Houston.

I hope they can't just automatically take that small strip of wild out to throw up buildings so I hope you are right.

Heck I don't read newspapers due to them being fictional anymore. I can be misinformed online.

Last years eaglet from this bird.

[WItoTX]

But if ole Ben had his way we couldnt hunt thunder chickens.

Well, his position, among other founders, was that the Bald Eagle shouldn't be the national bird because it scavenged dead animals and stole from other birds who put in the hard work of catching fish and what not. But he didn't outright say the turkey should be the national bird though, just suggested it would be a better option than the Eagle.

Either way, it worked out the right way. I definitely wouldn't be out hunting Bald Eagles if the turkey were the national bird!

[Etxbuckman]

FWIW:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/53729/no-ben-franklin-didnt-want-turkey-great-seal

“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perch’d on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country, tho’ exactly fit for that Order of Knights which the French call Chevaliers d’Industrie.

“I am on this account not displeas’d that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America. Eagles have been found in all Countries, but the Turkey was peculiar to ours, the first of the Species seen in Europe being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada, and serv’d up at the Wedding Table of Charles the ninth. He is besides, tho’ a little vain and silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”

And now you know the rest of the story.

[WItoTX]

I hope they can't just automatically take that small strip of wild out to throw up buildings so I hope you are right.

Heck I don't read newspapers due to them being fictional anymore. I can be misinformed online.

Last years eaglet from this bird.

Awesome photo.

[Anvilheadtexas]

Call US Fish and Wildlife and ask them how you can get a permit to hack down a tree with a bald eagles nest in it (to develop land) and then ask them about the most recent permit/incident here in Houston (Lake Houston). Sorry guys, nothing is sacred anymore. We are all twisted up on NFL football and it's stuff like this that should be what we get rallied behind.

[WItoTX]

Call US Fish and Wildlife and ask them how you can get a permit to hack down a tree with a bald eagles nest in it (to develop land) and then ask them about the most recent permit/incident here in Houston (Lake Houston). Sorry guys, nothing is sacred anymore. We are all twisted up on NFL football and it's stuff like this that should be what we get rallied behind.

Care to share? I have no idea what you are talking about.

[centex_aggie]

That sucks! There used to be a nesting pair on upper end of Lake Houston. Haven’t heard wether they are still there.

There is still a pair on the north side of Lake Houston. They have made a new nest site recently. Both are alive and well as of a few months ago.


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[Anvilheadtexas]

Care to share? I have no idea what you are talking about.

No, I already said enough.