Standing in a swampy field on the side of the road, a group of people pointed their cameras and binoculars towards a large tree.
This tree near White Rock Lake in Dallas is home to a nested couple of bald eagles — named Nora and Nick — and their eaglets.
This year, the couple has three eaglets who are getting ready to leave the nest.
“We've got the female eagle sitting at the top of the tree right now. I believe they're waiting for Nick to come back with some food,” said Martha Taylor, a local bird enthusiast.
Taylor comes to visit the eagles almost every day and had visited the nest in past years as the eagles returned.
When eaglets first leave their nest, they don’t fly well or very far. They will explore the field and nearby trees, a stage called branching, for a few weeks before their wings will take them further.
To facilitate safety for the eaglets as they learn to fly, the city of Dallas has taped off the area around the tree and will install large barricades to stop cars from driving from East Lawther Drive from the playground to the Dreyfuss area.
The area will remain open for walking and biking.
Signs in the area prohibit the use of drones.
Bald eagles are protected by federal law and adult eagles can become more protective of their young during this stage. This closure helps keep them and park visitors safe, a city press release stated.
“It's just amazing. To have bald eagles here five miles from the city and two miles from my house, it's pretty incredible,” Taylor said. “Just to watch nature do its thing.”
The road will remain closed for several weeks, depending how long it takes the eaglets to take flight.
