[va-richmond-general] article on Eagles on the Potomac from the Washington Post
- From: "Kathy Kreutzer" <k-kreutzer@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Va-Richmond-General@Freelists. Org" <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 12:58:50 -0500
Kathy Kreutzer, Chesterfield
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/> washingtonpost.com
Eagles Have Landed -- Among Us
Rallying Species Finds Urban Haven on Potomac
By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 17, 2005; Page A01
Rosilie Island, a spit of land in the Potomac River where bald eagles
roost, has a good claim to being the most unlikely wildlife refuge in
the Washington area.
It's not a natural island, or even an island at all. Instead, it's an
old sand and gravel dump, where enough dirt was piled over the years to
create a ragged peninsula.
Then there's the noise and bustle of the huge National Harbor
construction project, being built on the island's doorstep. And the
small matter of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Tiny Rosilie holds up the
Maryland end of this roaring monstrosity, with 200,000 cars passing
every day and more lanes under construction.
But somehow, the bald eagles don't seem to mind. As many as two dozen
now perch here at any given time, including one nesting pair and a
number of transient eagles who use the island as a "loafing ground" in
winter.
The northern end of Rosilie Island has been set aside to protect the
birds. Soon, similar protection will be given to the southern tip of the
island, officials say.
Last week, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Craig Koppie watched
a white-headed bird sitting placidly on one of the island's trees as
traffic and construction equipment rumbled nearby. "It obviously doesn't
care in the least what's going on," Koppie said.
Eagle experts say Rosalie Island is one of the busiest, most urban
havens established for bald eagles -- and a sign of their return from
endangered status 30 years ago.
The birds have exploded in population and -- like dumpster-diving bears
and cougars that follow deer into suburban gardens -- learned how to
live alongside humans.
"They've figured out how to get along in spite of us," said Jody Millar,
another Fish and Wildlife biologist who oversees efforts with eagles
nationwide.
The birds were listed as endangered in the 1960s because of the
pesticide DDT, which weakened their eggshells and caused them to break.
Since DDT was banned, however, the number of nesting pairs in the 48
contiguous states has rebounded from several hundred to more than 7,000.
Their status has been changed from endangered to threatened.
The expanding population has forced young birds to settle for less
desirable real estate, far from rural forests and lakes. They have
settled in Southwest Washington and in Chicago, and they have built
nests perilously close to airports in Orlando and Minneapolis.
To the eagles of the Chesapeake Bay region, Rosilie is an exurb away
from their preferred habitats in rural areas downstream in the Potomac.
It's the ornithological equivalent of Warrenton: far out but workable if
the commute is right.
"It's fairly low on the totem pole to have to park by a bridge," Millar
said. "But if they must, they will."
And it turns out that the Rosilie eagles do have a short commute to find
food. Stunned and injured fish sometimes float up in the wake of
tugboats. The processed waste that comes from the nearby Blue Plains
Wastewater Treatment Plant feeds a large supply of algae, which draws in
more fish.
The first nesting pair of eagles arrived in the vicinity of the Wilson
Bridge in 1997, settling in a tree on the Maryland shore.
Things went well until 1999, when a construction worker cut down the
tree holding the nest. The birds moved to a nearby tree but raised only
one eaglet that year instead of the usual two or three, Koppie said.
In 2003, the nesting pair moved out to a cottonwood tree on Rosilie,
several hundred yards from the mainland.
Workers at the Wilson Bridge project were astounded to be so close to
the daily life of the birds, whom they nicknamed "George and Martha
Wilson."
"They're completely at home out here," said Stephanie Spears, a senior
environmental specialist on the $2.43 billion bridge project. "They're
relaxed. They're doing what eagles do."
That includes building their nests -- a violent process in which the
eagles gather sticks by flying into branches at a high speed and
snapping them off. The workers have also witnessed eagle fights, as
George drove away other eagles during talon-to-talon battles in midair.
And the workers watched as George and Martha raised two sets of young,
including triplets in 2004 that were named after the two nearby states
and the District -- "Ginny, Mary and Doc."
Spears recalled seeing the young birds take their first flight, edging
out to the end of a branch and gingerly stepping off.
"It reminds me of a toddler taking their first steps, kind of big-eyed,
excitable," she said.
At this time of year, a dozen or more transient eagles can sometimes be
seen on Rosilie. During a trip there last week, Koppie spotted several
perched on the island's south side. Several were young eagles, their
distinctive white head patch not yet developed.
"Here is a classic loafing situation," he said. The eagles are often
young and unattached, wandering across the country, he said. They are
grateful for a spot where they can find other eagles and a ready supply
of food.
The south side of the island is being transferred from the Peterson
Cos., which owns National Harbor, to the Maryland-National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
The original plan for the southern tip was to make it a park with hiking
trails and fishing piers. But now, park officials say, the eagles' end
of the island will be kept in its current state and an observation trail
built several hundred feet back. "Nothing at all is going to be done to
the southern half of the property," said Chuck Montrie of the park and
planning commission.
This setup will last as long as the eagles remain, officials said.
But how long will that be -- with the new Wilson Bridge not due to be
completed until 2008 and National Harbor sometime thereafter?
Eagle experts said it's impossible to tell. Millar, of the Fish and
Wildlife Service, said that she's known of eagles that had become used
to droning traffic but were suddenly spooked away by a few people
walking under their nesting trees.
"There is a point," she said, "where they just can't stand it anymore."
C 2005 The Washington Post Company
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