Newest Resident Eagles Cause A Stir

Sayville, NY — The latest family to move into the neighborhood is generating a buzz: a pair of nesting bald eagles has been spotted in a Sayville park. Local fans of the newest residents have even suggested a naming competition on Sayville community groups on Facebook. But others are concerned that too much enthusiasm for the birds, still rare on Long Island, might prove harmful to the eagles.

Brian Cozzie is a nature photographer who lives in Bay Shore. He told Patch that he has heard stories of people finding the nest and being impatient to photograph or see the eagles and so they throw rocks at the nest to get the eagles to be move. Another wildlife photographer, Pat DeLuca of Blue Point, managed to snap some photos of the Sayville eagles but was worried about disclosing the location of the nest for fear of the public harassing the eagles.

Maureen Wren is the Assistant Commissioner of Media Relations for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and she tells Patch that the first suspected bald eagle nest on Long Island was only discovered in 2006. The population is expanding across the Northeast and so will eventually continue to expand into places on Long Island with suitable habitat, she explained.

"The number of nests has increased from five known locations in 2006 to 11 locations as of 2019. Nesting bald eagle calls about sightings have become more commonly received in the DEC Long Island region’s wildlife office than in years past."

Bald eagles are still a threatened species in New York State, but experts are optimistic that they will repopulate areas that they have previously disappeared from.

Human harassment, however, can be a detriment to this expansion, Wren says.

"During the breeding season, bald eagles are sensitive to a variety of human activities. However, not all bald eagles react to human activities in the same way. Some pairs nest successfully just dozens of yards from human activity, while others abandon nest sites in response to activities much farther away. This variability could be related to a number of factors, including visibility, durations, noise levels, extent of the area affected by the activity, prior experience with humans, and tolerance of the individual nesting pair. If agitated by human activities, eagles may inadequately construct or repair their nest, may spend too much time defending the nest instead of caring for their young, or could even cause the eagles to abandon the nest."

The birds, along with their nests and eggs, are protected by federal statute. If you see someone harassing or injuring an eagle or if you spot destruction of eagle habitat or find an injured or dead eagle, the DEC asks that you report it to: DEC Division of Law Enforcement at 631-444-0250 and DEC’s regional wildlife office at 631-444-0310.