Bald Eagle Viewing - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

ploddinTod · 02-24-2004, 11:03 AM

Does anyone have information on where and when is the best time for viewing these majestic birds in SE Texas? Thanks

Turn Key · 02-26-2004, 05:52 AM

Hi 'Tod,

I understand that Fairfield Lake SP is suppose to have some of the best bald eagle viewing in that part of the state. Don't know how true that is. I believe we are on the back side of the prime viewing time. You would want to check on this to be sure.

Would like to warn you about this park. We took a drive down there about 2 years ago to take a look. We found that this was the ONLY park in the system we would not return to. Found the camping facilities run-down and dirty. There were a number of sites occupied by people who had obviosly been there for months. Cars and empty boat trailers were parked everywhere. There had been some tree cutting in the camping area and the cuttings had been left where they fell, willy-nilly, even partially blocking the roads. The shower houses and washrooms were hopeless. Also, we just couldn't help getting the feeling that something was going on in the park that you just didn't want to get wrapped up in.

On our return home, I sent a letter to the state. Got a very nice letter in return stating that our observations would be looked into. Don't know if it's been done and haven't been back to check. May take another look the next time we're down that way but can't see us making a special trip. If you end up going, it would be great if you could post your observations.

No matter what and always, happy camping!

Shannon · 02-27-2004, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploddinTod

Does anyone have information on where and when is the best time for viewing these majestic birds in SE Texas? Thanks

Not sure about timing, but have you looked into the Vanishing Texas River Cruise at Canyon of the Eagles State Park? Never taken the cruise, myself (though Justin has, and might have some insight) -- it's a noted bald eagle viewing opportunity at the right time(s) of year.

Addendum: Here's a direct link to their bald eagle tour info, which says the tours are from November to March (for bald eagle viewing).

Alchemist2000 · 03-20-2005, 06:27 AM

We just returned from a multi-day swing through the Hill Country. Although we enjoy birds, we are not birdwatchers per se. However, one of the highlights of the trip was the 15-20 minutes we spent watching the "Llano Eagles". We had seen them mentioned in a news story here in the Dallas area, so we made a special effort to seek them out.

What is it? There is a large eagle's nest visible from Texas Highway 29 between Llano and Burnet. There are several adult eagles that return to this nest each year. The actual location is on the south side of the road, approximately seven miles east of Llano. (If you have a gps, the coordinates are N30 46.326 W98 33.055). There is plenty of room for parking along the side of the road. The state has installed extra warning signs suggesting that traffic slow down, but I would still exercise extreme caution exiting and entering the roadway. The road seemed to have a lot of traffic on Wednesday morning when we were there.

The state has installed an extra fence to keep people from going near the nest and has also added some informational signs about eagles in Texas. The nest, which is probably a 100 yards (?) from the road, and the adult birds sitting in the tree were easily visible with the naked eye from the road. With binoculars, we could see another adult bird feeding the babies in the nest. If you are in the area while the birds are still in the area (possibly for another month?) I would definitely suggest a stop. It was a real thrill to see these gigantic birds.

Alchemist2000

P.S. We were not expecting to see any wildflowers yet, but we saw lots of bluebonnets on the north side of TX-29 immediately west of Burnet. With some additional sun, I suspect more will be blooming soon.

01-01-2006, 08:50 PM

Thanks for the GPS coordinates! Very helpful.

riverrat · 02-27-2007, 02:58 PM

Right now you can see a pair of nesting Eagles and at least one eaglet in South Vidor. PM me and I will give directions if you're interested. So far the news and other media has not made this public (except for one blurb in our local paper) but word of mouth has brought in hundreds of people. The nest is only about 100 feet or so off the road so traffic is always going by it. I will post pics later (I'm at work """shush""").

riverrat · 02-27-2007, 08:18 PM

Here's one of those pics. I cannot claim fame for it and I don't know who did take the pics. If I did I would give him/her credit. I have more but I was only able to upload one. Maybe I'll "reply" again...

riverrat · 02-27-2007, 08:23 PM

Here's another. I don't have any shots of the baby(ies).

Hillcountrymom · 03-20-2007, 08:54 AM

here is the web page address for the Llano Eagle pics & dates.

Hillcountrymom

JohnK · 12-31-2007, 04:36 PM

Had a great time this morning watching the Llano nest. Definitely worth checking out. I'm going back again soon with a better camera/telephoto. My little Sony just wasn't up to the task since you can't get closer than about 125 yards.

JohnK

eaglesrus · 02-04-2008, 06:18 PM

i would love more info on the nest in vidor, if its still there and the location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by riverrat

Here's one of those pics. I cannot claim fame for it and I don't know who did take the pics. If I did I would give him/her credit. I have more but I was only able to upload one. Maybe I'll "reply" again...

riverrat · 02-04-2008, 10:36 PM

I pm'd you but for those who may be interested...yes, the nest is still there but I'm not sure if the eagles have been spotted yet this year. I would think they'd be back by now but not sure if they are. I'll try to get by the site soon and report back if it looks active. Unless the crowds scared them off (they didn't seem bothered last year but who knows how an eagle thinks) they should be back. They had been using that nest for 10 or more years, according to the people who live and work nearby. It was a well kept secret until Hurricane Rita blew a bunch of trees down.

riverrat · 03-08-2008, 01:02 PM

A recent article on our eagles can be found at...
The Beaumont Enterprise - News - Local

You should be able to find a video of them. Seems the crowds did disturb them somewhat. Hopefully they won't leave us. And the roar you hear is a car passing the videographer at a speed of probably 60 MPH. The nest is that close to the road.

Turn Key · 03-09-2008, 11:22 AM

I would love to know if they have done anything about the shoulder drop-off at the Llano Nest? Saw a guy tear up his motorhome on that thing a couple of years ago and I won't pull my "5th" into that area for that reason. Truck alone would handle it fine. Will be going by there the week after next and again about a week later on the return leg. Would love to stop for a bit but as said, the "5th" ain't going down there

! It hadn't been fixed the last time I went by but that was a year ago. What's the word now?

Thanks and Happy Camping!