Party almost over, the eagle has flown - Dubois County Free Press, Inc.

eagle practicing for flight — The eaglet practicing for first flight. Photo by Sam Voegerl

A little girl looked through Sam Voelkel’s camera and then back at her mother. The nine-year-old was excited to see the rare eagles nested at Huntingburg Lake. I want to do this mommy, she said referring to the camera and the wonder it pointed at, I want to grow up and do this.

What is the appeal of the eagle to the area residents that seemed to flock to the corner of the retaining pond at Huntingburg Lake? According to Ron Young, an amateur wildlife photographer, it is symbolic nature of the eagle as well as its rareness that make it so popular, but this family of eagles in particular because of the closeness of the nest.

“A lot of nests you have to go to by canoe or kayak, but this one is right here,” Young said.

The nest has been luring people out to catch a glimpse since last winter when the pair was building the nest. In April an eaglet hatched, the first in Huntingburg, and since then the lake has continued to draw people from all over the area.

Sam Voelkel, owner of Jasper Communications, has chronicled the life of the birds on his photo blog since the eagle hatched and has become the resident expert of the northwest corner of the retention pond on the south side of Huntingburg Lake. “I’ve had 40 people down here looking at the eagles,” he said about the popularity.

Sam and friends — Crowds have been gathering under the shade of the northwest corner of Huntingburg Lake’s retention pond to watch a pair of eagles raise their eaglet since April. From left: Rocky Owen (his wife Diana is behind him), Ron Young and Glenn Menke on the tailgate, and Sam Voelkel standing beside his camera. Craig Menke is behind Sam with his binoculars.

Recently, with the added media exposure, the lake has been getting an average of 10 to 20 people at a time. The edge of the road becomes a parking lot in the evening as the locals appear with binoculars, hunting sc0pes, cameras, camcorders and even phones. And each night —five out of the seven— Sam will be in what has become his customary corner with his 1200 millimeter fixed-lens pointed up at the nest and he doesn’t mind letting anyone take a look. He’ll even show you some of his better portraits he’s developed.

“It’s most people’s first opportunity to see an eagle outside of a zoo,” Sam said about the nest’s popularity. “Most people have never seen an eagle their entire life and here is one in their backyard. The placement is basically going to guarantee you see an eagle.”

Sam said according to George Wilson’s History of Dubois County the last eagle’s nest in the county was in 1893 south of Birdseye.

On Sunday, Sam may have taken his last eaglet picture for the season. In the last picture on his blog you see the bird catching a few feet of air practicing for its first flight. By Monday night only mom and dad were still around; the eagle had flown.

For those of you still wanting to catch a view of the eaglet, Sam says the eagles should be hanging around for a few days longer and the eaglet should still be around as well. Here is the location.

View Eagle Nest at Huntingburg Lake in a larger map

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Here are some facts about eagles.

They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
The parents will usually return to a nest or nesting area each year.
This nest is one of 25 new nests DNR has documented this year; there are 160 total documented in the state.
Young eagles will return to the same region they were born.
It is illegal to possess any part of an eagle, even feathers found on the ground, without a permit.

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