Bold and Beautiful
By Isaac Rath and Katie Milsky
Photos by Isaac Rath
A few weeks ago, I came across a bald eagle perched in a tree next to the road. As I approached, I watched carefully. I wanted to make sure that by getting out of my car and moving a bit closer to it, I wasn’t causing it to exhibit any unnatural behavior. As a wildlife biologist, this is something I take seriously as I don’t want my presence to harm the wildlife. However, I also want to get close enough to study the animal’s behavior. Once I got to a spot where I could see the eagle but wasn’t visibly bothering it, I pulled out my camera to snap a few shots.
At one point I did start to try to creep a bit closer, but I noticed that it was looking toward me more often than it was looking elsewhere, so I took that as a sign that I was too close and backed away again. Once I backed off, it went back to its normal behavior. A few minutes later, another car pulled up, and as the family was noisily getting out of the car the bird had had enough and took off.
Almost immediately, the family packed back into the car and left as well. I hung out for another 15 minutes and eventually, the eagle did return. I share this as a reminder to recreate respectfully and always keep a safe distance from wildlife. I don’t just mean safe for you, but also for them. It’s important to recognize that our simple actions can have a profound impact on the wildlife around us. Had that eagle not been scared off from his hunting ground at the moment, perhaps he would’ve caught a meal. We’ll never know. When I worked in Yellowstone National Park, we all knew that you needed to be at least 25 yards from all animals, 100 yards for bears and wolves. I use that as a minimum. If you are approaching an animal and you are impacting its natural behavior, or it starts to show signs of aggression or anxiety, or even if it gets up and starts walking in the opposite direction, you are affecting its natural behavior. We must protect these animals, especially when we venture out into their home.
