Several years ago, after I built a brand-new NestStory for the NJ Eagle Project to help manage their 250 pairs of eagles and army of 100 volunteers, Kathy Clark asked if there was anything they could do to thank me. Though I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a noble cause, there was something I actually wanted.
I didn’t hesitate. “You can take me to that eagle nest,” I replied.
“Which eagle’s nest?” asked Kathy.
“You know. The one you can sit in and pretend you are a baby eagle.”
She knew exactly what I was talking about. It is a truly remarkable, one-of-a-kind nest. Located inaccessibly, deep in the marsh, the nest is broad, thick, low, and firmly supported by an old platform. You can sit right inside of it. Having no choice, she begrudgingly let me tag along to the most magical place on earth; a sacred, secret source of inspiration for the leaders of the historic eagle recovery. It was a sight to behold, and that experience was worth sitting behind a computer for 100 years to build 1000 NestStories.
This year, Kathy placed a new Little Egg Cam there. While the camera’s primary purpose is to monitor for a repeat of a mysterious loss suffered last year and to spot banded eagles in this heavily populated area, it also offers a glimpse into the daily lives of a beautiful eagle family. Observing them thrive in this unique location is a testament to the success of conservation efforts. And Kathy, of course, eagerly wants to see if the nest is successful so she can plan her favorite banding trip of the year to this remote location!
Last week, two legends, Kathy Clark and Dr. Erica Miller, made a special visit to this nest. Their mission? To band and get blood samples from the young eagle hatched there this year. This act not only symbolizes the continuation of our conservation efforts but also celebrates their remarkable 30-year collaboration in the field of eagle recovery.
It was a warm, windless spring morning on the marsh. It was heavenly perfect. Except for one thing: the gnats. They were dreadful. The kind of morning you don’t dare to speak for fear that a dozen gnats will swarm into your mouth and stick themselves to the back of your throat.It’s the OG eagle team. Dr. Erica Miller and Kathy Clark. Kathy has the repellant at the ready because these gnats are bad.30 years working together on the Eagle Project, and helping countless other animals. Still somehow, everything is interesting, and everything feels new on the marsh. Except the gnats. They just feel annoying.Kathy & Dr. Erica are joined by the young bloods. Melissa & Zac. Zac is a part time tech for the Endangered Species Program whenever he is not at his full time gig with the non-profit Natural Lands. Melissa is the new raptor biologist for NJFW. Will Zac and Melissa be making this trip 30 years from now? Let’s hope so!Captain Zac. Not the best captain if you are in a hurry. Zac will drive way out of his way stop to pick even the smallest piece of trash he sees. And he sees all of it.Shorebirds everywhere along the water. The only thing more abundant here is the gnats. And there is a Bald Eagle on every, rare perch out here.The team anchors and sets up everything in advance to minimize the disturbance and maximize the success.The adults take to the air and stay surprisingly close. They must really love their chick. Normally eagles are extraordinarily risk averse. They are big babies, and can vanish during bandings, not returning for hours.Dr. Erica enters the nest first for the delicate task of removing the young eagle from the nest. This is a good thing since she is one of the most qualified people on planet Earth for such a task. Dr. Erica literally wrote for, edited, and re-edited the book on wildlife rehabilitation. If you’ve ever seen a documentary or article about a terrible oil spill and its effect on birds, you probably saw her in the background working tirelessly; not just degreasing the birds, but developing the methods and protocols that will be used all over the world in future catastrophes. Her astonishing resume can’t fit in a blog post, let alone a caption. But she was the 2023 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators. You can, and should, read more here. We are so lucky to have her working with our wildlife.Dr. Erica gets this magnificent beast hooded in time for Kathy to wrap her massive feet and talons in an ace bandage. She’s feisty and could hurt someone, or herself.If I ever dreamed of being a baby eagle for a morning, well, my wish came true. I got myself stuck on the tower during the banding while servicing the Little Egg Camera. When it asked me if I wanted to install the massive software update over the thin and unreliable cell signal available out there, and then totally reset the camera, the glare of the morning sun and the annoying sting of the gnats encouraged me to push “YES!” instead of the correct answer, “HELL NO!” If you are envious for any reason, look closely at what you sit in when you sit in an eagle’s nest. Bones, scales, feather, entrails, feces. Squish, squish. It’s nasty!That’s OK. I was still able to shoot the banding from above as Melissa held and Dr. Erica drew blood and banded. Until my glasses fell off the tower and into the mud below that is.The Band Shot. H/49. This picture is critical, because we are going to see this bird again in the future.Melissa got the normally cherished, but today dreadful, job of holding. All the floof and dander coming off the eagle is bad enough when you have to stand still… but the gnats. While holding this both delicate and violent creature, there is no opportunity for a free hand to wave the gnats, slap the gnats, or brush them off your face and out of your eyes and ears. You just have to sit there and take it.It was a stressful experience on an unusually warm morning. Dr. Erica does the fun part here and offers the eagle some refreshment.Melissa is free at last and climbs to escape the gnats.Kathy returns the newly minted H/49 top to her nest. But it’s not a tough goodbye, as Kathy knows she’ll see her later that afternoon on the Little Egg Cam.A bright future awaits H/49.
It’s funny, but I sometimes curse NestStory as being the greatest mistake & personal tragedy of my life. Having spent decades miserably chained to a computer, I discovered a passion for wildlife that got me away from the screen and healed me. It led me to photography, storytelling, and getting outside, all of which were not just different but antidotes. Yet somehow, thanks to NestStory, it all led me right back to the computer, yet now I have even less time to get outdoors and do the things that I now know heal and inspire me. I ruined it. I can barely even squeeze in these Readings anymore.
So, I can’t even begin to imagine how Kathy and Dr. Erica feel. Their lifetimes of hands-on field experience helping wild animals has paradoxically led them indoors, behind computers, for endless Zoom calls. Yet, despite their limitations, these roles have also played a crucial part in their work, allowing them to share their expertise with a broader audience.
Kathy was promoted to Chief at NJ Fish & Wildlife. She now has more meetings than bandings, but her unfathomable experience can be shared more broadly with others in the field, and she can direct an organization whose impact can barely be quantified.
Dr. Erica has been working remotely from home, far from the labs and facilities where she’s always been hands on. Yet she can amplify and share her expertise with a more extensive field staff, students, and the next generations of vets and rehabilitators by being available to more people and assisting at a higher level. She can help more animals this way, both now and in the future, so this is what she does.
They are making immense personal sacrifices for wildlife conservation by taking the best path forward to make a more significant impact.
Realizing that these two legends with unimaginable field experience, have humbly and quietly gone back indoors where they are most needed to do the most good, without complaint, was the most inspiring thing about this morning.
And having seen their wide eyes, their smiles, and heard their deep sighs as they traveled the marsh, I’m pretty sure that if someone ever asks them, “Hey Kathy & Dr. Erica… is there any way we can thank you for all of this?” they would answer…
“Yes. Let us go to that eagle’s nest. The one you can sit in.”
