We recently received a question about a pair of Bald Eagles that have been seen several times near Turkey Bend Park. The member of the public wanted to know if the birds were breeding. This is the answer we sent them:

We checked with an expert birder and he said that Bald Eagles should be on their nests at this time. For several years, this birder monitored a nest viewable from Big Webberville Park, but that pair has apparently moved. However, they tolerated the opening of a very active gravel mine quite near their nest, which surprised him.

Another local birder estimated that there are now nesting pairs about every 5 miles along the Colorado River below Austin. A good many raptors are becoming more tolerant of people, and we now have more Red-tailed Hawks nesting in Austin. That was not the case decades ago. As human populations increase, most species will have to become more tolerant, I expect, and this may be happening with the pair near the camp.

However, do try to give any nest a pretty wide berth! They are wild animals and need their space. You don’t want to accidentally cause them to abandon their nest due to stress caused by us humans.