PAUL SMITH

Smith: National symbol makes live Milwaukee appearance

Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

April 8 started out as a typical Saturday for Dale Raab of Wauwatosa and his parents, Paul and Bev Raab of Milwaukee.

Dale did some errands in the morning and later stopped to check on his parents at their home in the Wedgewood Park neighborhood on Milwaukee's south side.

Ordinary turned into unforgettable in a flash of dark brown and brilliant white feathers.

Just past noon, a passerby alerted Dale to the presence of a very large bird in his parents' backyard.

A quick glance revealed not just any avian visitor but our nation's symbol.

"Completely out of the blue," said Raab, 60. "Just a majestic sight in a very unusual spot."

The adult bald eagle was about 30 feet up a tree and 150 feet from the sidewalk. It had what appeared to be a cottontail rabbit clutched in its talons.

Dale summoned his parents to the impromptu wildlife viewing.

The Raabs, who have owned the home since 1978, are accustomed to seeing gray squirrels, rabbits, house sparrows and other wildlife in their yard.

But this was, to borrow a phrase from "The Wizard of Oz," a "horse of a different color."

A crowd of humans quickly assembled to watch in awe as the raptor ate its lunch. And other birds gathered, too.

“The crows and small birds were going nuts,” Dale said. "But the eagle appeared calm. At several points, it looked right at us."

Dale captured a few images of the eagle with his smartphone.

When it comes to bird identification, the typical Wisconsinite can bat 1.000 on three species: American robin, Canada goose and bald eagle.

There was no doubt about the feathered wonder sitting in the tree on Milwaukee's south side.

Bald eagle sightings are uncommon but not unprecedented in Milwaukee County. The appearance of the big raptor in the state's largest metropolitan area is part of a good news story for the species.

Department of Natural Resources researchers and volunteers have documented a remarkable recovery of bald eagles in Wisconsin.

In the early 1970s only a hundred pairs nested in the state. Protection efforts, especially the banning of the pesticide DDT, allowed the population of eagles and many other raptors to rebound.

In 2016, the DNR reported a record 1,504 occupied eagle nests in Wisconsin during its annual spring survey. By comparison, 108 pairs nested in the state in 1973, the first year of the study.

Vilas (154) and Oneida (147) counties had the highest number of occupied eagle nests. The counties represent most of the Northern Highland Ecological Landscape, which has one of the highest concentrations of lakes in the world, according to the DNR. 

Biologists conduct aerial surveys of the nests for a variety of reasons, including to help provide the best guidance to landowners on how to effectively protect bald eagle nests.

The survey flights are conducted in March and April when eagles are on their nests and deciduous trees are mostly leafless.

Eagle nests are federally protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. 

Earlier this year, an active bald eagle nest was documented in Kenosha County. The observation marked the 70th of the state's 72 counties to have eagle nesting.

In southeastern Wisconsin in 2016, four occupied eagle nests were observed in Waukesha County, four in Jefferson County, two each in Ozaukee and Racine counties and one in Washington County.The DNR defines an occupied nest as one that has been repaired, has eggs, has an incubating adult or eaglets.

Only Milwaukee and Walworth counties have yet to show such activity in modern times.

Observations of eagles in Milwaukee County over the last decade include along the lakefront, on the Milwaukee River in the northern part of the county and in southwestern portion of the county.

Was the recent sighting of a bald eagle in Milwaukee an indication of a local breeding pair?

It's possible, but no evidence of a breeding pair has been documented this year in the county, said Sharon Fandel, DNR field ecologist for southeastern Wisconsin.

Bald eagles build very big nests, often spanning more than 6 feet and weighing several hundred pounds. And when a pair of big, white-headed birds is in it, it doesn't escape the notice of the public or state biologists.

Fandel said bald eagles typically establish nests on or near lakes and rivers and in a mature tree. They also tend to be in areas with relatively little interference from humans.

Still, Fandel said she wouldn’t be surprised to have a bald eagle nest documented in Milwaukee or Walworth counties in the near future.

"If you take a step back and look at how the distribution of eagles has changed over the last 30 or 40 years, it has expanded from the north and northwest to the southwest and southeast," Fandel said. "The southeast contains many of the last unoccupied territories. It's going to be interesting to watch where the next nests get established."

The Raabs watched the eagle for about 20 minutes. The bird finished its meal and decided to fly off, Dale said.

Dale, who is semi-retired after 35 years in the technology field and now works part-time as a teaching assistant at Hawley Environmental School in Milwaukee, said he normally sees eagles on his fishing outings on the Wisconsin River.

"They are catching more fish than I am," Raab said.

He shared photos of the Milwaukee eagle sighting with students at Hawley Environmental.

"It's one of those experiences that can create a spark," Raab said. "Even if you live in the city, keep looking and you never know what you might see."