More information on eagle feathers can be found here. Buyers can obtain a permit before they purchase the property, and the permit becomes valid once they own the land. Bloomington, MN 55437-1458. Visit your local Audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program. Permits are not mandatory and cannot be required by the Fish and Wildlife Service.  If you decide to build your house within of the recommended buffer distances of an eagle nest, and the eagles continue to use the nest and raise young, then no federal laws have been violated.  However, if the eagle abandons the nest, the nest fails, or the nestlings die, you may be held liable the Eagle Act.  Penalties for Eagle Act violations can range from up to one year in prison and $100,000 fine for a first offense (criminal misdemeanor), to up to 2 years in prison and $250,000 fine for a second offense (criminal felony).  These fines can be doubled for businesses.Â. Each year the adult pair will add 1-2 feet of new material to the nest. Binoculars can ts is always Landowners can also apply for a permit after they purchase the property. Please use the following recommendations based on your activity, distance to the nest, and time of year to determine if your project may disturb eagles, and if a permit is recommended. Both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (50 CFR § 21.11) and the Eagle Act (50 CFR §22.11) prohibit collection or possession of eagles, their parts, feathers, nests, and eggs without a permit ).  The Service recommends you leave any eagle parts of feathers where you find them.  Eagle parts and feathers may be disposed by of burial or incineration.Â. The Midwest Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Nests in remote areas, away from human activity, should be avoided altogether during extra-sensitive periods. Generally, once the home is built, the eagles are unlikely to be disturbed by everyday activities such as lawn mowing, outdoor recreation, vehicle traffic, etc. During or after preening, birds like to shake off. Use optics like binoculars or a telescope to view the eagles at a distance. About how long does it take for the bald eagle's eggs to hatch and how long until it can … span.s3 {font: 16.0px 'Times New Roman'; font-kerning: none}. (except blasting and other extremely loud activities), 330-660 feet In order for your federal eagle permit to be valid, you must be in compliance with all other state, federal, local, and/or tribal laws and ordinances.  You can find your state wildlife contacts here: No, you may not collect anything from in or around the nest. On every one of these occasions the eagles opted to build a new alternative nest. (if similar activity within 330 feet). These recommendations are based on distance of the proposed activity to the nest and the time of year eagles are active. Enjoy their presence at a distance with good optics. Service removed the bald eagle from the federal list of endangered species in 2007. Another sensitive period comes when the nestlings are getting ready to fledge, at about eight weeks—if startled during this time, they may jump out of the nest. You must mitigate the loss of the nest by providing a net benefit to the eagles. A typical bald eagle nest (eyrie) will range from 1.8 to 3 meters (6-10 feet) in diameter and … More information on what to do if you find a dead eagle can be found here. Remember that birds that are nesting in remote areas might be more easily disturbed than birds who have set up camp in close proximity to houses or roads, and consider focusing your efforts on birds that are more used to humans and might be more blasé about your presence. The Service does not dictate whether a landowner can build a home near an eagle nest.  Rather, the Service makes recommendations on ways to avoid impact to nesting bald eagles. Before starting any project that has the potential to impact a bald eagle nest (e.g. The recommended buffer distance from an eagle nest is 660 feet. p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff} A. Or take action immediately with one of our current campaigns below: The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to more than 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. They are large birds and their young become quite large, demanding of lots of space to fit all the birds and their 6 foot plus wings.