Bald eagles thrive as urban development soars
As new restaurants, stores, and multi-story office and apartment buildings have gone up at Hughes Landing, the developers have been careful not to disturb a couple of longtime tenants.
Two mature bald eagles have lived in the area near Lake Woodlands since 2000, nest hopping at least five times since settling in the area. Their current nest, which they’ve kept for the past four years, is located in a tree right next to Lake Front Circle, not far from The Woodlands United Methodist Church.
Over the past few months, the couple has been busy caring for their youngest eaglet, a small black-feathered baby bird that hatched in January and will likely learn to fly by next month. Another pair of bald eagles also nests in The Woodlands, near the Bear Branch Reservoir. Together, the two couples have hatched 36 eaglets since 2000, serving as shin-
ing examples of how the bald eagle population has rebounded over the past few decades from hovering on extinction to thriving.
“They’re popping up everywhere all over the country,” said Fred LeBlanc, environmental manager for The Woodlands Development Co., which owns the land surrounding the Hughes Landing eagles’ nest and has a permit with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service outlining conditions for development near the birds’ nesting area.
The nation’s symbol had dwindled to less than 500 nesting pairs in 1963 after widespread pesticide contamination of fish, the birds’ preferred prey, killed off a large portion of the population, according to the FWS. The bald eagle was placed on the endangered species list in the 1960s and, since then, has climbed back up to a healthy number. It was removed from the list in 2007, but is still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
LeBlanc said that Texas has created new prime real estate for the birds of prey. The man-made lakes and other bodies of water full of fish, like Lake Woodlands, coupled with tall trees, make for a perfect habitat for the eagles.
To continue the protection of the bald eagles at Hughes Landing, The Woodlands Development Co. has built its plans for the mixed-use development around the birds, leaving a 4.6-acre forest buffer around the nest. They are particularly careful that construction nearby does not disturb the birds during the nesting period, which stretches from October to June, LeBlanc explained.
But the eagles don’t seem to mind the commotion as much as their ancestors did.
“For whatever reason, they moved near Lake Front Circle,” LeBlanc said. “They moved from a quieter spot to a more active spot.”
LeBlanc said that the newer generations of eagles seem to be less spooked by human activity than the nature-loving generations before them.
Donna Anderson, a wildlife biologist with the FWS who monitors 30 nests in the greater Houston area, said that the pair at Hughes Landing has adapted to city life more so than others in the area.
“That pair is really unique. They have a true affinity for that area,” said Anderson. “It’s incredible what their tolerance has been.”
She’s noticed a similar trend with other area eagles who are beginning to warm up to building nests nearer to human activity. One pair nested right in a homeowners backyard, Anderson said.
As the iconic bird has become more active in more populated areas, like The Woodlands, bird lovers have enjoyed the opportunity to watch the eagles thrive in their own communities.
“We just have been really excited that the bald eagles are coming back,” said Kathy Coward, president of the Piney Woods Wildlife Society, a club for nature-lovers in north Harris and south Montgomery counties. “They’re just such a wonderful, majestic bird.”
Coward said that society members enjoy observing the Hughes Landing eagles from a safe distance.
“It’s so nice that they are so close to us,” Coward said.