Eagle craze in Norwalk

NORWALK — With the camera shutter clicking away, the moment felt like being amid an episode of a National Geographic documentary. "I'm sure I'll never see anything like that any time soon," Katie Myer said. Myer is among the hundreds of locals who have flocked to the city's Lower Reservoir near the water-treatment facility to watch a large convocation of bald eagles. For about two weeks, many bald eagles have claimed the Lower Reservoir — which extends from Old State Road east toward and along Ohio Route 18 — as a temporary refuge. The majestic birds have been putting on an aerial display as they circle above the water before swooping down and plucking out fish. Observers have spotted more than 40 bald eagles at one time. Myer, from Sandusky, picked up nature photography as a hobby during the pandemic in 2020. She visited the reservoir on Jan. 5 and was not disappointed. "I've never seen so many eagles at once," she said. "It was so fun watching them teach the young to fish, and they hardly ever missed. "My dad and I travel all over Ohio to see all kinds of birds, and when we hear of an opportunity like that so close to home, we can't miss it." Why are they here? Seeing a bald eagle or two in the Norwalk area, and especially at the reservoirs, has not been uncommon in recent years. A big eagle's nest is plainly visible high in a tree along the northern edge of Memorial Reservoir, near the eastern side of Lower Reservoir. While gulls, Canada geese and ducks can often be seen at the reservoirs, having a large group of eagles at the still ice-free Lower Reservoir certainly is unusual, birders have noted. Huron County game warden Matt Smith was among several local officials and outdoorsmen who noted the eagles are likely "cashing in" on the available food. "The best guess is you have the warm water discharge there from the treatment plant that is keeping the body of water open," Smith said. "You can see multiple birds there feeding, not just eagles. I know there is a pretty good population of big fish and shad and other things inside of that reservoir." John Hageman, a longtime outdoors columnist for the Sandusky Register, said he thinks a family or two of eagles were drawn to the available fish there and others simply followed. Fish are eagles' primary food source, although they will also hunt and eat small mammals. "I would guess that they have spread the word of the discovery of a concentration of dying fish, likely gizzard shad," Hageman said. "They are a southern fish species at the northern edge of their range, and cannot take winter weather very well. "About 95 percent of their population die off their first winter, and before dying they become lethargic and disoriented — and easy pickings for larger fish, gulls, birds of prey and shorebirds." Smith agreed that a natural die-off process of shad or other fish species can result in a feeding frenzy for the eagles. "They might be focusing on that open water at the reservoir as a primary food source to prepare for nesting season," he said. In general, bald eagles tend to follow a food trail anywhere they find open water. Colder temperatures leading to skim ice and muddy or choppy waters make fishing more difficult, so eagle families often will move on to better opportunities. Hageman, an expert on all things Lake Erie after 35 years of work at Ohio State's Stone Laboratory at Put-in-Bay, was impressed by the cohort of eagles in Norwalk. "The number is high, but not unheard of," he said. "Similar congregations often occur on the Sandusky Bay under the same circumstances. The highest number in one set of trees that I've heard of was 69." Drawing a crowd Americans' affection for bald eagles is almost automatic. The American bald eagle has been our national bird since 1782, when it was made part of the government seal. That image is used by many government institutions and appears on official documents. Speaking from behind her camera, Myer explains it's much more than that. "Photographing a national bird is always cool, but I think it's just how truly majestic they are and the way they chase each other, and latch their talons together in the sky while gliding — almost like a dance," she said. Apart from the California condor, a critically endangered western states bird, the bald eagle is the largest American raptor by a wide margin. A favorite of many bird-watchers and photographers, eagles are admired for their soaring patterns through the sky. Their distinctive power dives and roller-coaster swoops and loops are a treat to watch. "Capturing them fishing has been very rare for me," Myer said. "I think it's been about two years since I caught one fishing, so I tried to capture as much as I could." Smith and Myer both noted another key reason behind the public's fascination with bald eagles is their comeback from nearly dying off. With the national symbol facing extinction, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940. The law prohibited killing, selling or possessing the species. Teetering on the brink of extinction, eagles reached an all-time low of 417 known nesting pairs in 1963 in the lower 48 states. Their population is now an estimated 316,700 individual birds, including 71,400 nesting pairs in the U.S. Smith said at one point, fewer than 10 nesting pairs of bald eagles were believed to be alive in the entire state of Ohio. "Now we have 40-plus eagles at the Norwalk reservoir in Huron County," he said. "It's incredible to see. Everyone likes to take pictures and likes these kinds of things just because they were such a success story of bringing a species back from the brink." Coming or going? While the number of eagles gathered here is a new sight in the Maple City, their presence may become be fairly regular. Readily available water and food resources can entice bald eagles to stay in a region year-round, experts note. Although many eagles do migrate south or to coastal areas during winter months in search of food, that may not be the case in Norwalk, where the reservoir waters infrequently freeze solid. "They are following a food source," Hageman said. "As long as there is one there and they are not bothered, many of them will probably stick around." Smith agreed, adding that bald eagles are not like other migratory game birds such as ducks or geese, which come and go frequently. "They could be hanging out there for pretty much as long as they want to," Smith said. "Bald eagles don't have any natural predators, so they kind of do what they want." As far as the influx of people to the reservoir, Smith said there are no rules or guidelines to follow, except common sense. "Give them space," he said. "You don't want to stress them out or disturb them while feeding or interacting with each other. I'd say to give them a 50-yard buffer if you're going to view them, and obviously if they are up in a tree, that's not really a concern. "But if they are on the ground feeding on something, just keep a distance and don't walk up on them." For photographers like Myer, she can only hope the birds do stick around. "Birds and wildlife are my main subjects, because I think they're so fascinating," she said. "It gives me something to do outdoors, and it's very peaceful and relaxing. "That day definitely ranks high because there's only been about a handful of times where I've seen something rare," she added. "I don't know I'll ever see that many eagles together again, which makes it even more special."