The State’s Bald Eagle Population Is Healthy And Thriving,
And You Can See These Regal Birds Right Here In SWLA
By Karla Wall
About The Photographer Harold “Bubba” Naquin became interested in birds at a very young age. “As a boy, I spent a lot of my time in the woods and fields, and I began learning to identify different bird species. It consumed me.” He received a bird ID book from the mother of one of his friends when he was in the fifth or sixth grade. “I still have that book,” he says. His interest led him into the wildlife management program at McNeese, and he received his bachelor’s. His photography “focuses mainly on offshore big game fishing,” he says, but birds (especially waterfowl) are a close second. “With the plethora of bird species and bird habitat in our area, I just find myself having more opportunities to snap bird shots.” Is the Bald Eagle his favorite subject? “Although, in my opinion, it’s the ultimate apex of raptors, I would have to say the Bald Eagle ties with the Great Horned Owl as my favorite,” he says. “But a full-plumage mature Bald Eagle perched in a tree is just such a majestic sight.”
For even the hardest-core and most jaded bird or wildlife watcher, the sight of a Bald Eagle soaring over a lake or perched regally on a snag, always in search of its next meal, is breathtaking. Even among the other members of the bird family — the gorgeous, brilliantly colored songbirds that migrate to and from the U.S. each spring and fall; the ducks, with their shiny heads and wing patches; and even among other raptors such as that beautiful and deadly accurate hunter the Osprey — the Bald Eagle stands out.
Little wonder that it was named the national bird when the U.S. was founded. It’s been said that Ben Franklin opposed the choice of the Bald Eagle, arguing that its propensity to steal and eat carrion from other birds and animals rather than hunt on its own made it unsuitable as the nation’s symbol. The Wild Turkey, he said, would have been a much better choice.
But as beautiful and interesting as it is, the Wild Turkey doesn’t have the “wow factor” that the Bald Eagle has, and in spades.
Brilliant white head plumage (on the adults; immature Bald Eagles have dark head feathers); piercing and yellow-gold eyes that always seem to be hyper alert; massive size; and huge talons that grab onto and lift into the air impossibly large prey — the Bald Eagle can be described in one word: regal.
They’re just interesting birds. They mate for life. They tend to come back to the area where they were born and raised to build a nest and raise their own young. They are often seen “playing” with found objects.
And they have a fierce dedication to their nest and young. A case in point: A nest in Florida is fitted with web cams near the nest providing a 24/7 online view of the eagle pair raising their young. Viewers have been able to watch them for years now.
The website was flooded with viewers a couple of years ago when Harriet, the matriarch of the nest, died. Harriet’s mate stayed at the nest working tirelessly to feed and take care of the pair’s two chicks, only a few days old when Harriet died. He managed to feed and raise them on his own from infancy to fledging.
But we don’t have to travel the country or stay online to view these magnificent birds. They’re fairly well established right here in SWLA.
A RANGER SITS IN A BALD EAGLE NEST TO GIVE A SENSE OF SCALE
An Extraordinary Conservation Success Story
It wasn’t always so. In fact, the national bird nearly went extinct in the 1970s thanks to the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides, which caused thinning of eggshells and thus low-to-nonexistent hatch rate.
“Habitat degradation and associated decreases in waterfowl and other birds that Bald Eagles prey upon may have also contributed to the species’ decline, as well as intentional shooting by ranchers and farmers to reduce a perceived threat to young livestock,” says Robert Dobbs, nongame ornithologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
But thanks to many factors, the Bald Eagle made a stunning recovery in the late 20th Century and into the 21st.
“Since the banning of DDT, plus a plethora of conservation efforts by various state and local groups, the Bald Eagle has made a tremendous rebound,” says local photographer and nature enthusiast Harold Naquin, who has a bachelor’s in wildlife management.
The Bald Eagle was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1967. DDT was banned, federal conservation laws such as the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act were passed, and increased public education and awareness campaigns have made people more aware of the need to protect the Bald Eagle and other raptors and birds.
The result? By 2007, says Dobbs, the Bald Eagle population had recovered enough that it was taken off the Endangered Species List.
According to the LDWF’s Bald Eagle Project, when monitoring of Bald Eagle Nests began in 1974, there were five Bald Eagle nests in Louisiana.
In 2008, there were more than 380 nests in the state. During the 2014-15 nesting season, Louisiana’s Bald Eagles produced and successfully fledged at least 333, and perhaps as many as 368, young. In fact, Louisiana has the third-largest nesting population of Bald Eagles in the country, according to the project; only Florida and Virginia have more nests.
“To be sure, the incredibly successful recovery of the Bald Eagle is rivaled only by that of the Brown Pelican,” states the Bald Eagle Project report.
SWLA Eagle Sighting Hotspots
Louisiana’s Bald Eagles are “particularly abundant in the southcentral and southwestern portions of the state,” says Dobbs. But, he says, “its commonly seen throughout much of the state, including southwestern Louisiana, particularly during the October to April breeding season.”
Where are the best spots to find these majestic birds?
“Terrebonne Parish has the most,” says Naquin. “But Toledo Bend Reservoir is usually a guarantee for sightings.”
Around SWLA, says Naquin, the best areas for sighting Bald Eagles are the lower Calcasieu River, Choupique Bayou and rural Sulphur areas, Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, Lacassine NWR, farmlands around South Lake Charles, and the Lake Arthur area.
“Just pay attention to your surroundings during your daily outings,” Naquin says. “They’re all around.”
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