First, a nest update. On Sunday morning — after a brief period of snow — our female eagle was seen sitting down in the nest. After she left, we could see a small indentation in the nest where the nest cup will likely be when she’s ready to lay eggs. In two of our three years of the Eagle Cam, the first egg appeared around January 24-25, so we’re getting close to that prime time.

Normally eagles do not like to spend a lot of time in the nest, especially at night. They prefer to be perched in the trees during the day, and even at night when they sleep. So anytime we see the female actually sitting down in the nest, we get excited because it means she is gearing up for nesting season.

In the last three years of our cam, the one huge hint that something was about to happen was when we saw the female spending the whole night on the nest. Every time we have seen this behavior, an egg appeared the next morning. So we’re keeping an eye out for shots showing the female on the nest late at night in the sleeping position; that will be our cue that she feels an egg is about to be laid.

Florida Eagles

For those who missed my note on the Eagle Cam page, the Audubon of Florida Eagle Cam has one or possibly two eaglets in their nest. Go to the “For the Love of Eagles” forum and scroll down about halfway to see a cute photo of one eaglet.

Florida raptors — both eagles and ospreys — nest earlier than our birds here in the north. This is because the Florida parents want the young out of the nest and independent before the brutal Florida summer arrives. In fact, quite a few of Florida’s immature bald eagles actually head up here — to the Chesapeake Bay — for the summer, as we have less intense heat and lots of fishing for the young birds. Once the summer passes, the birds head back down toward their home state.

Pelican Island NWR

Speaking of Florida, I wanted to spend a little time talking about a very special place in Florida — Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, near Sebastian, Florida on the east coast.

During the late 1800s, it was the fashion in America for women to wear bird feathers on their hats. According to Audubon Magazine: “In 1886 Frank Chapman hiked from his uptown Manhattan office to the heart of the women’s fashion district on 14th Street, to tally the stuffed birds on the hats of passing women. Chapman, who would later found the first version of this magazine [Audubon], was a talented birder. He identified the wings, heads, tails, or entire bodies of 3 bluebirds, 2 red-headed woodpeckers, 9 Baltimore orioles, 5 blue jays, 21 common terns, a saw-whet owl, and a prairie hen. In two afternoon trips he counted 174 birds and 40 species in all.”

Despite a great deal of effort by conservationists, it was unbelievably hard to get the fashion industry — and American women — to cut back on the demand for bird feathers, even though millions of birds were being slaughtered for the fashion market.

Pelican Island was one of the last stands in this war between feather hunters and conservationists. The little island was a favorite target of hunters, but it was also the last breeding ground for brown pelicans on the entire east coast of Florida, and after hearing about the pelican slaughter on the island, Teddy Roosevelt signed an executive order in 1903 establishing Pelican Island as the first federal bird reservation. Local boat builder Paul Kroegel was hired as the first national wildlife refuge manager at Pelican Island, and he was paid $1 a month by the Florida Audubon Society, as Congress had not set aside funds for this executively created refuge.

Being a warden protecting birds from feather hunters was dangerous work — in fact two other wardens were killed in the line of duty. Kroegel — who had a family homestead near Pelican Island — had watched the hunters blast away at the pelicans, and he was determined to do his best to protect the local bird life. When Kroegel saw the hunters approaching, he would head out with only his boat and gun to protect him, and there is no doubt, Kroegel was the best friend the birds could have.

Kroegel remained the refuge manager at Pelican Island until he retired in 1926. In 1963, Pelican Island was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior because of its status as the first federal area set aside specifically to protect wildlife, and in 1968, Florida expanded the lease with the refuge to include 4,760 acres of mangrove islands and submerged lands. In 1970, Pelican Island became the smallest wilderness area (six acres) in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Pelican Island received another honor in 1993 when it was recognized as a Wetland of International Importance. The refuge has since acquired over 500 acres through purchases, management agreements, and conservation easements along its eastern boundary to provide a buffer against encroaching development, and provide a link to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

I recently paid a visit to Pelican Island NWR, and it’s truly a wonderful location for wildlife. In 2003, which was the 100th anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System, a Centennial Trail was built at Pelican Island to honor the Refuge System’s anniversary. The trail features a boardwalk with planks that honor each refuge in the System. I searched for the Blackwater NWR plank and found it near the end of the walk (the planks are arranged chronologically). The very last plank in the long boardwalk is for Pelican Island NWR — the very first refuge.

At the end of the boardwalk is a gazebo that offers an overlook of Pelican Island and the beautiful Indian River Lagoon. The entire area really is an amazing place, filled with mangrove islands and loads of bird life. The lagoon also hosts manatees.

I also visited the charming town of Sebastian, Florida, and it’s attractive Riverview Park, which offers another view of the Indian River Lagoon, as well as a life-sized bronze statue of Paul Kroegel — the first refuge manager and the pride of Sebastian. (See the statue here).

Pelican Island is not without its problems these days. Encroaching development, erosion, sea level rise, infestation by exotic species, and budget and staff cuts threaten to undermine protection of the refuge. But despite these challenges, I think Paul Kroegel would be proud to know how the Refuge System has grown and how many species have been protected because Teddy Roosevelt made that first declaration way back in 1903.

If you’d like to see current photos of Pelican Island’s bird life, visit the Osprey Watch website where our friend Bob Montanaro follows the adventures of ospreys at Pelican Island NWR. Bob recently went on a boat tour around Pelican Island, and you can see his photos showing the many pelicans.

And if you’d like to learn more about Pelican Island and its history, visit the websites below. Visitors should definitely make a stop at the attractive town of Sebastian, Florida. Besides Riverview Park, the town also offers nice amenities for tourists to the area. Also note that on March 8, 2008, they will be holding the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival.

Pelican Island NWR
Pelican Island NWR Friends Group
Saving Pelican Island

And more about Paul Kroegel
One Person Can Make a Difference

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
Contact

Tags:
eagles, wildlife refuge, eagle cam, Blackwater Refuge, Maryland, Pelican Island Refuge, Florida