Dripping Life A lesson from Bald Eagles

Once upon a time in mid-October, a pair of bald eagles built a nest near White Rock Lake in Dallas. The structure, located in a cottonwood tree, was engineered their new home with an exterior of large twigs. The eagles decorated the interior with softer materials, making it suitable for nesting.

In their daily reports, Dallas media folks were careful not to include the exact location -- in police talk, an undisclosed location -- but neighbors living around White Rock Lake soon spotted the nest and, well, word-of-mouth is powerful.

The City of Dallas and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service were immediately involved. A fence soon kept curious visitors a safe distance away, and local media published penalties for disturbing these great creatures in their daily activities, particularly when young eaglets appear. Orangeand-white barriers were put up along the adjacent Buckner Boulevard to keep the curious from getting too close. People were asked not to use the field next to the grove of cottonwoods, where the nest was located, and the city’s urban biologist warned of the eagles possibly leaving their nest if they felt threatened…or, if weak tree branches were unable to wear the nest’s weight.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits anyone, without a permit issued by the secretary of the interior, from "taking" bald or golden eagles, including their parts, nests, or eggs per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal legislation also provides harsh criminal penalties for anyone who takes, possesses, sells, buys, offers to sell, transport, export, or import an eagle, alive or dead, or any part of a nest or egg.

A first-offense violation can result in a fine of $100,000 ($200,000 for organizations), imprisonment for one year, or both.

The criminal penalties increase for additional offenses, and a second violation is a felony, i.e., a prison sentence. P.S.: “Officials visit regularly, just to check on eagle security.”

According to a report from WFAA-TV, the eagles are a couple -- one male and one female. Eagles are monogamous and mate for life…and while it’s rare to see bald eagles in the heart of a big city, it’s not unheard of because bald eagles hang out in Texas year-round, as the Texas Parks & Wildlife experts tell us. However, nesting near a busy street, two schools and a hospital was a bit unusual.

But just as the pair of big birds had settled into their new digs and several eggs were laid, a windy norther swept over the Metroplex and the following day, the fears of the White Rock Eagle patrol were realized. As D Magazine reported, “the eagles’ crying as they circled the scene of their eggs’ demise was heartbreaking, es pecially for those who have been keeping an eye on the birds’ progress for the last few months.”

But it didn’t take long for hope to spring eternal, for in a sycamore not far from the old nest site, there was a pre-owned, now abandoned hawks’ nest. As Tim Rogers, editor for D reported on February 16th, “The eagles must have found the thing on Airbnb. They’ve moved in. The place isn’t big enough for a growing family, so it’s probably just temporary. But at least they’ve found a place to stay.”

The next day, February 17th, KRDO Radio asked the big question: “Will they stay?”

“The city’s urban biologist says at this point we have to wait and see,” the newsperson said. “They’re still keeping the area fenced off, trying to minimize any disturbances until the eagles decide what they’re going to do.

Brett Johnson, the City of Dallas’ Senior Environmental Coordinator, said the eagles had set up their former nest in a tree where the limb was not very strong, so the combination of the weight of the nest plus that strong wind gust broke the limb. At least one egg didn’t make it, but it appeared the eagles were sticking around,” the broadcaster reassured.

“‘Some of that could be breeding activity, some of that could be trauma-related,’ Johnson said. ‘They very well could rebuild and may even produce offspring this year…and if they are successful in building their new nest, they’ll probably return, year after year.’”

“‘What’s important to remember here is the eagles’ resiliency,’ said Sam Kieschnick, a biologist with Texas Parks & Wildlife.”

So, here’s where the lessons come in: Biologists determined the Dallas bald eagles were young, like so many couples just starting out in life together. Sometimes, along the way, their nest may be blown from the tree and possibly destroyed. Or, perhaps a child is lost and the couple must take time to cry together, as the eagles did.

But, instead of allowing hardship or tragedy destroy their relationship and dreams, the eagles show us the better path is to work together and rebuild the nest, bigger and stronger than before, making it ready for hatching the next generation of little eaglets.

If humans followed the eagle’s example, there would be little need for divorce lawyers, dividing property, custody fights or grieving the loss of a relationship. Life would be so much simpler if we had the resiliency of bald eagles.

So, just remember. When life’s speed bumps become overwhelming and abandoning the nest appears the only answer, remember the Dallas eagles. Life wasn’t kind to them this winter. After the norther blew through, they lost everything, including two unhatched eaglets, not to mention all the work it took to make their home. But they persevered. They found a way to move forward, rebuilt their nest and, thanks to laws protecting them as an endangered species, they’ll live happily ever after.

The End.