People in one part of Osceola County are worried a bald eagles nest could be in trouble and that's because a development is moving into their area.
- Town of Kindred development
- Bird watchers say nearby bald eagles disturbed by construction
- FWC says they should be fine
As the development comes in. Some feel the wildlife is on its way out.
“You know you feel powerless to stop it,” said resident Michael Gallagher.
Bald eagles have been nesting on a tree on King’s Highway and Henry Partin Road in Kissimmee since 1985.
“It’s not just an eagle, it's our national bird. We almost lost them, we don’t want to lose them again,” explained Jenny Welch.
Welch is an avid bird watcher. She is concerned that with all the construction related to the new “Town Of Kindred,” eagles won’t continue to nest there.
“The eagles would fly around in circles and calling and screeching and that’s an indication that they were not happy, they were upset,” Welch said.
Right now construction workers have to stay 330 feet away from the nest but come Oct. 1 (nesting season), they have to work within 660 feet. Residents noticed the eagles came back early this time around.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they’ve been at the site multiple times and have found no evidence of violations.
For now the construction company is working on a retention pond near the nest but within the 660 feet barrier. FWC also said a biologist hired by the developer is monitoring the nest during construction.
But for people like Gallagher and Welch that’s still too close for comfort.
“It’s just something we're going to lose in the neighborhood that was always one of the bigger attractions, that we had an eagles nest you could park and come and look at,” Gallagher said. “Just seems to be the course of development.”
We also reached out to the developer but have yet to hear back from them.
For anyone interested in monitoring eagles nests this season, the eagle watch program will be meeting on October 12 at noon in the Osceola County Extension Office.