Bald Eagles Spotted Nesting in DeRidder
I was sent this picture yesterday by a buddy of mine. While checking on the family farm, he looked up into one of the trees and saw a giant nest with two bald eagles. Eagles in Louisiana? Well, they're more common than you might actually realize.
Florida is considered to be the hot spot for bald eagles to nest in. It currently has more nesting bald eagles than any other state. In the 1970s, due to DDT, the population of the bald eagle began to dwindle heavily. After the government banned it, the population slowly began to trickle back. Now here we are with the eagle population on the rise as a result of conservation and observation of the great bird.
Louisiana is now home to over 350 recorded bald eagle nests. They like their nests to be high in the air with a ton of twigs, sticks, and branches to make their home. Typically in Louisiana, they find their spot to be in pine trees or cypress trees. The most dense population of nesting areas for the bald eagles is West Terrebonne Parish near Gibson. They make their homes along the swamps each spring. Bird watchers from all over the country flock to these areas and take swamp tours just to catch a glimpse of the majestic animal in its habitat.
I personally wasn't aware we had that much of a population of them. I have heard people say they have seen them around, but never have seen them with my own eyes. Now, it seems, they have found a little nesting spot in DeRidder.