HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 04-17 Bald Eagles move across lake MAPLEWOOD REVIEWEmr-TAAKIII1
Bald eagles move across lake I Lillie Suburban Newspapers
Bald eagles move across lake
Submitted by admin on Sun, 04/17/2016 - 12.00am
By: Marjorie Otto
The new nest can be viewed from the southernmost park and pavilion area on Keller Lake. The nest
is in the large tree to the right (Marjorie Otto/Review)
Facing west, the nest is located in a large cottonwood tree near the start of Keller Creek.
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Bald eagles move across lake I Lillie Suburban Newspapers
Bald eagles move across lake
Highway 36 nest abandoned for new spot on Keller Lake
It seems as though a change in scenery is a need shared by both humans and bald eagles.
For many years the north end of Keller Lake in Maplewood was home to a pair of bald eagles that raised
their young and watched them leave their nest.
The majestic eagles and their nest atop a large tree adjacent to Highway 36 became familiar sights for
passing motorists.
But it was obvious to many commuters that something was amiss this spring. The nest looked unkempt
and the eagles were nowhere to be seen.
Now wildlife biologists report a new nest has popped up on the south end of Keller Lake. It can easily be
viewed from the southernmost park and pavilion area on Keller Lake, when an observer is facing west.
It's unclear exactly why the eagles abandoned their nest next to the busy highway, but one possibility is
the popular boardwalk trail that was added to Keller Lake Regional Park a few years ago. The boardwalk
is close to the tree where the eagles were nesting.
Laurie Nau, who works in the non -game wildlife program at the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources, said, "It just seems like it's the walking path because that's the only major change."
She said bald eagles see more of a threat in individual humans than the thousands of cars driving by on
the freeway.
With the boardwalk nearly underneath their nest, she said the bald eagles might have felt the need to
move
Reproduction issues
However, Mike Goodnature, a Ramsey County biologist, thinks other factors may have played a role in
the move.
"To me it [the boardwalk] had no impact," Goodnature said.
He said urban and suburban bald eagles usually are not as sensitive to people as forest -dwelling eagles.
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Bald eagles move across lake I Lillie Suburban Newspapers
"These metro eagles are so used to it [human activity], it doesn't seem to bug them much," he said.
He said prior to the boardwalk being constructed, county biologists had noticed one of the adult eagles
had died. He said the surviving eagle attracted a new mate, but the staff noticed they were having
difficulties hatching their eggs. When they finally did have eaglets, they struggled to survive.
Goodnature believes this contributed more strongly to the move than the new boardwalk.
He added that during the construction of the boardwalk and the Highway 36 reconstruction, an eagle
permit was used to monitor the raptors during construction and report back to U.S Fish and Wildlife
Service. He said he recorded little to no disturbance.
Long-time residents?
Both Goodnature and Nau said they don't have banding records for the Highway 36 eagles. However,
due to the habits of bald eagles, both naturalists believe the same two birds have taken up residence on
the south end of Keller Lake.
"I'm pretty sure it's the same set of birds," Nau said, because of eagles' territorial tendencies.
She explained, "They can be territorial, and they are more bonded to the territory than their mate. So I'm
guessing they would not tolerate another pair that close to their nest because they have been there for
so long."
Bald eagles will usually continue to mate with the same partner until a partner dies. When that happens,
the remaining eagle will then mate with a new eagle that comes into its territory.
In the case of the Keller Lake birds, the new mating partner may have initiated moving the nest to a
different spot on the lake.
Goodhue added that the old northern nest was falling into disrepair, so the pair may have decided to
abandon the nest rather than try to repair it.
Goodnature said, "There's some [wetland] restoration work going on near that [new] nest, and I actually
walked right underneath the nest two weeks ago with the female sitting on the nest and she didn't even
bat an eye."
Marjorie Otto can be reached at 651-748-7816 or atastrid�lillienews.corn. Follow her on Twitter at
,@.,EastSideM Otto.
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