The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-17
THE EAGLES NEST
It Is Gigantic Affair of Brush and
Weeds, Affording Free Access
and Easy Exit.
How the Big Fellows Are Domi-
neered by Little Birds, King
birds and Crows. ....
Francis H. Herrick in ST Nicholas

Francis H. Herrick in ST. Nicholas.
NOT long ago had the good fortune to
discover from car window an eagles
nest. In September, 1899, while passing
North Springfield, Ohio, not far from Gil
rard, noticed in the top of dead tree a
huge dark object which at once. aroused
my curiosity. This proved to be a we'll
known landmark, an aery of the white
headed eagle, which had been occupied for
years and was known to every workman
on the road.
Possibly no one now living in Girard can
remember when there were no eagles nest
ing in their neighborhood. For many.
years this pair or their predecessors are
said to have occupied an old shell of a
sycamore in the midst OF woods at Miles,
grove, Pa, not far from the station When
this aged tree finally succumbed to the
storm, the second and more famous nest
was begun at North Springfield in 1885.
Ihls lasted fifteen years, until January
1900. With the aid of the photographs of
this nest, made in May, 1885, and actual
measurements upon the PROSTATE tree,
was able to determine the exact dimen-
sions Of the nest itself. 1t was nine feet
tall and SIX feet in diameter, and contained
enough wood. earth and stubble to fill a
good-sized hayrack. Until it's overthrow
it rested in the skeleton arms of a huge
sycamore, which had become reduced to
a shell of bark and rotten wood for many
yards from it's base. The top of the nest
was exactly seventy-seven feet from the
ground and the tree trunk measured
| three and a half feet in it's greatest diam
eter. The tree suffered general collapse
in its fall, but the simple construction of
the nest could easily be made out. It's
foundations and outer walls We're COM
posed of dead sticks of any length from
six inches to four feet, laid crosswise and
packed closely together. Some of the
larger fagots were two inches thick and a
yard long. The sticks also supported the
were filled with straw, weeds, corn-stub-
Bile, and much earth brought in with the
latter. In consequence of annual repairs
carried on during fifteen years, this nest
had risen until it was three feet taller
than broad, while the first years nest is
several times broader than deep.
Thought it's lease may be short, the
eagle chooses well in placing it's aery on
the commanding summit of dead tree
which stands boldly against the sky, for
| it's home is always in sight and easily
guarded; but, best of all, it can come and
go with perfect freedom, there being no
| foliage or branches to interfere with the
| broad sweep of it's wings Accordingly I
| was a little surprised to find the new nest
| not only in sycamore which had thus
| been preferred for the third time, but in
live and healthy one, which seemed good
| Tor nundreQ years. 1t had q girth of
twelve feet at the ground and a clean.
straight hole without a branch for sixty
| feet, at which point it suddenly spread
and bent it's arms, forming a spacious
and secure support for a nest of great
size. This huge spreading crotch had evil
| IDENTIFY attracted the birds, although close
| beside it rose a stately tulip-t tree. whose
| branches touched those of the sycamore
and partly overshadowed them ,.. s
On approaching this nest not a sound
was heard for fully twenty minutes when
suddenly the male came upon the scene,
and, circling overhead, sounded his pe-
culiar alarm, kak! kak! kak! kak! Then.
alighting in the topmost branch of dead
tree, he expressed his emotion in the char
! acteristic manner which he shares in
some degree at least, with other birds
Of kin as remote as the night-haWk
With depressed head and outstretched
neck, with dropped and quivering wings
4 his nandibles would open and close as
If moved by springs as he uttered his pro-
! longed monosyllabic cry of distress TIC
my surprise, the female was sitting quiet
| ly at the nest all the time, as became evi
dent when she suddenly left it, and, with
protesting screams. began to circle over
/ the tree-tops. Both birds had evidentl,
become shy and suspicious of visitors
since their former nest had been de-
stroyed, and neither would now go tc
i their young while human being was in
sight. My camera CHANGED to catch an
eaglet as 1t rose to the edge of it's wicker