Bald Eagle over Hudson Athens Lighthouse, Hudson, Columbia County
After I moved to Columbia County, I learned about Alan Devoe Bird Club. I join the club at the beginning of 2023. The first bird walk I participated in was Eagle Count, which was part of an Army Corp of Engineers project to determine the health and patterns of Bald Eagle populations. We met up at Stuyvesant Landing and then drove down making stops along the Hudson River. The total number of Bald Eagles counted was 39 of which there were 18 adults and 21 immature birds, according to the club’s report — I would have missed most of them if the experienced birders didn’t point them out for me!
Another exciting thing for me was to see bald eagles’ nests. I’d had no idea how big they were. I learned that it could become up to six feet wide and more than three feet high. I think I could possibly live in it myself as I am only 5 feet tall.
I later learned from Will Yandik, a member of ADBC who was leading the Great Backyard Bird Count in February, that after DDT had been banned the eagle population started to recover. DDT was a widely used pesticide that, when ingested, prevented the eagles from reproducing successfully by weakening their offsprings’ eggshells (via History of Bald Eagles and DDT by James River Association.) It made me realize that the choices we make do matter. Even though I’ve been paying taxes in the US for a decade now, I am not yet allowed to vote as I am a green card holder. The more I learn about things like the bald eagle population, it makes me more motivated to become a citizen so I can join decision-making, especially in local policies.
