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Bald Eagle at Lake Bryan

2,587 Views | 31 Replies | Last: 15 yr ago by CanyonAg77
TheMathGuy
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I went kayaking at Lake Bryan this morning and saw a Bald Eagle! Maybe I just never looked closely before thinking it was just another Buzzard but sure enough I got a great look as I was coming out from under the bridge... Bright white tail and head... Beautiful! First one I have seen in Brazos Co.
Anyone Else seen one here?
Max06
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You saw correctly, there are a few breeding pairs on the lake.
shiftyandquick
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tiny_torpedo
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I've seen a few in Brazos county - saw their huge nest on a buddy's place with two adults and a juvenile eagle. Awesome!
shiftyandquick
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Mild hijack...
------------
I attended Hunter education class and the teacher said something to the effect that "it's the hunters, not the tree-huggers that have and do support the conservation of animals." I get what he is saying.

But you look at the conservation of non-game species like the Bald Eagle and you have to give credit to the conservationists, some of them hunters, some of them not. And yes, some of them tree-huggers and environmentalists.

I was driving in Wyoming area last winter and saw a Bald Eagle on a fence post. What a thrill
hunttexag
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One flew over while I was duck hunting on Lake Somerville saturday morning
OnlyForNow
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Bald Eagle's.

DDT did horrible damage to their numbers.

Now they are making a HUGE comeback.
MasterAggie
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I believe the DDT myth has been debunked. At least i have read a ton of material that says it is bs There are quite a few pairs in this area. We have a pair on a slough that I duck hunt on.
BQ_90
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You could see it flying over Bryan yesterday


Max06
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quote:
I attended Hunter education class and the teacher said something to the effect that "it's the hunters, not the tree-huggers that have and do support the conservation of animals." I get what he is saying.

But you look at the conservation of non-game species like the Bald Eagle and you have to give credit to the conservationists, some of them hunters, some of them not. And yes, some of them tree-huggers and environmentalists.




In many cases non-game species have an indirect relationship with game species. While restoring/improving habitat for game species you are almost always improving the habitat for non-game species as well. Wetland restoration has done wonders for waterfowl, but it has also done wonders for shore birds. Wildlife biologists rarely, if ever, manage for one species.
mickeyrig06sq3
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quote:

I believe the DDT myth has been debunked. At least i have read a ton of material that says it is bs



Just so you have some backup.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202447,00.html
Austin Ag
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and millions of humans have died because DDT got outlawed...(malaria)

"environmentalists" have actually done a lot more damage than good with their alleged good intentions.
TheMathGuy
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But they care!



[/sarcasm]
OnlyForNow
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There is no dening that DDT kills mosquitos.

It also bio-accumulates in run off, which then insects pick up, fish eat, and birds of prey like bald eagles eat too many fish and their egg shells are weakened. Yes I see that Fox disputes this, but it does and did happen.

The whole mosquitos with malaria issue is stupid. Contries which have a high death rate from malaria still use DDT.


[This message has been edited by OnlyForNow (edited 11/3/2010 8:02a).]
carpe vinum
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Very cool.
Huge comeback all over the nation. On somewhat remote areas of the Washington / Canadian coast I've counted ~100 at times in my immediate view.
Sounds like I need to go out to the Hook and do some backporch 'research' on this.
CanyonAg77
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Texas Panhandle, February 2009. I've seen as many as 7-8 in a group up here before.

Dirt 05
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Amazing! I've only seen them in the wild in Alaska.

What do they eat in Texas?
G. hirsutum Ag
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quote:
There is no dening that DDT kills mosquitos.

It also bio-accumulates in run off, which then insects pick up, fish eat, and birds of prey like bald eagles eat too many fish and their egg shells are weakened. Yes I see that Fox disputes this, but it does and did happen.

The whole mosquitos with malaria issue is stupid. Contries which have a high death rate from malaria still use DDT.


Actually nearly all countries stopped using DDT after the horrid example of poor statistical and data representation of a book called "Silent Spring" was published. Only recently have countries in Africa started using DDT again where malaria kills several hundred thousand people each year.

The paper that Silent Spring was based on actually showed no significant difference in any of the tests. They tested pheasant and quail in captivity that were given increased doses of DDT. There was no significant affect on the quail eggs and the pheasant eggs actually did better than the control. The problem that they were seeing was that in general all of the eggs were more fragile due to a lack of calcium in their diets. This is more than likely due to the fact that they were in captivity and were on a controlled diet. Before laying eggs, a lot of birds increase insect consumption because the chitin in their exoskeletons has calcium in it. No bugs=weaker eggs. Myth debunked.
Ags99
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quote:
What do they eat in Texas?


Like many other Texans, mexican food.



[This message has been edited by Ags99 (edited 11/3/2010 9:45a).]
CanyonAg77
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They'll eat pretty much anything, taking it live or eating carrion. We see them in the Panhandle when the ducks start showing up in the fall/winter. Somebody told me that when the food (ducks) head south, the eagles follow.

We supposedly have around a dozen or so that overwinter in Buffalo Lake NWR in addition to the others that hang around local lakes and canyons.
G. hirsutum Ag
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That said it is exciting to see all the eagles. I have seen a few during my time in the panhandle and I thought I heard one over my house off of University the other day. We went to Alaska and of course there are thousands up there. It was really neat to see such a magnificent bird. We actually saw one swing down and catch a very large salmon out of the river. Then soon after all the other ones were fighting with that one trying to get the fish. Pretty cool.
CW2011
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99
quote:
Like many other Texans, mexican food.


haha

[This message has been edited by CW2011 (edited 11/3/2010 12:19p).]
TMfrisco
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Funny timing on this thread, but last week leaving the game and driving on 2818 near 6 I swore to the others in the car that there was an eagle next to the road.
Driving at 70mph I wrote it off, but now it seems more likely.
DUman08
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There is a pair on lake conroe and my buddy saw one chasing geese around in brookshire yesterday.
shiftyandquick
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all the folks that were shooting bald eagles back in the day....I think it is safe to say they were not conservation-minded hunters.
OnlyForNow
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As an entomologist, there were and are still LOTS of countries using DDT.

Some African countries DO use DDT, mexico uses DDT, some South American counties use DDT as well. Whether they "banned" the use of it or not they still use it widely in those places. After meeting entomologists from other countries you pick up on these things.

DDT was and would be one of the best if not the best pesticide ever created. But with all things like it, insects will develop a resistant strain.

[This message has been edited by OnlyForNow (edited 11/3/2010 10:53a).]
G. hirsutum Ag
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As a weed scientist, I disagree that they will develop a resistant strain. I believe that the resistant strains already exist but we are pressuring selection towards the resistant strains. That however, is a topic for another discussion.
igotworms
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That's awesome, I had no idea they came this far down south. I was in Yellowstone last year in August and saw one from probably 400-500 yards away and it was breathtaking then. I couldn't imagine seeing one on Lake Bryan.
RMC91
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I've seen them at Lake Livingston. I saw one (or something that looked very much like one) circling over the water, then snatch a fish, carry it for 10 or 15 yards and drop it. Unfortunately no pics.
logcabinag
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I was surprised to see one flying close to highway 3-4 miles north of Cuero this past Saturday. Beautiful bird.
jeffk
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We have a pair here in Montgomery County too.
AgBrad08
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I didn't see them, but there were some in baytown earlier this summer. I don't know if they are still there or not.
CanyonAg77
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quote:
I had no idea they came this far down south


Obviously you never heard of Vanishing Texas River Cruise
quote:
Vanishing Texas River Cruise
by Canyon of the Eagles
is the premier ecological cruise of Texas. Departing from Lake Buchanan in the Central Texas Hill Country, our cruises provide you spectacular views of Lake Buchanan, the Colorado River, native Texas wildlife, waterfalls, world-class bird watching and wintering Bald Eagles.
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