MENTOR, Ohio — We weren’t the only ones dealing with windy weather this week. The gusty conditions have also been affecting Northeast Ohio wildlife.
Monday morning, loyal birdwatchers realized a popular eagle nest was missing from its normal treetop perch at the Mentor Marsh Nature Preserve.
"I drove by here and noticed it was gone. So it literally just blew out either yesterday or the day before,” said photographer Brett Lee of Astro-Land-Nature Photography.
He said the eagles have made a resurgence in recent years and have become a popular attraction for birders and photographers alike.
"When I grew up out here, bald eagles were unheard of around here,” he said.
Mentor Marsh naturalist Becky Donaldson explained that the eagles are among the conservation success stories at the nature preserve. She said she still gets excited to see the birds.
"Bald eagles have nested at Mentor Marsh since 2010,” she said. “There’s a couple of folks that watch the eagle nest all the time, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just had a flyover on my way to work.’”
Donaldson and Lee both recall wind destroying previous eagle nests in recent years, including one in the same tree where the latest nest fell.
“We always worry about the eagle nests when it gets windy,” Donaldson said.
Lee said, “[It’s] sad, but at least there were no babies, no eggs. They’ll just rebuild.”
Donaldson said the birds usually lay eggs in February, and she’s optimistic that the destroyed nest won’t be a setback.
“They’re pretty resilient creatures. They built that one up really quick. So we think that they’re skilled, they’re more ‘mature’ parents, so they’ve been through lots,” she said. “It’s early enough in the season that we’re pretty hopeful that they have enough time to rebuild.”
Lee said he hopes the eagles find a sturdier place to rebuild.
“I just hope they don’t build it there again,” he said.
