After The Storm

The 80 miles-per-hour winds that tore through the Dayton, Ohio area this afternoon did major damage to many of the trees in the Mad River Well Field. It appears at this time that the eagle nest was also severely damaged.

Immediately after the storm, as I was driving  towards the well field to check on the nest, I was surprised to see one of the eaglets flying above Harshman Road in the area of the old Meijer store near Brandt Pike. I made a u-turn and followed the bird north on Harshman/Needmore until it made a sharp turn and apparently landed in the trees at the rear of Thomas Cloud Park. I am not sure if the eaglet had gotten disoriented in the storms. Jim and Cindy often fly through this area as they go to and from the Great Miami River on fishing trips. Therefore it could have been following an adult during or just after the storm. Since there are fireworks scheduled for Thomas Cloud Park on Saturday night I hope that it finds its way home before the explosions begin.

Some of our group inspected the nesting area in the rapidly fading daylight and reported that the top portion of the eagle nest had been blown off during the storms and that many adjacent trees had been damaged. It is believed that one adult and two juveniles were seen flying in the area of the nest. Due to the increasing darkness we will have to wait for dawn tomorrow for a more complete assessment. We hope to see all 5 eagles then, together and healthy.

The EEW & Friends picnic is still scheduled for 1:00 PM tomorrow at the Overlook shelter at Huffman MetroPark. I hope to see you there. I will post a more complete report here tomorrow evening and update everyone on the conditions in the well field.