The bald eagles nesting at Lake Woodlands are indomitable.

A pair had been nesting in the pine trees lining the southeastern shore in the late 1990s - until those trees succumbed to a new housing development, East Shore.

Yet the eagles came back the next year and found some pines not far from the northern lakeshore for their nest. Then Hughes Landing, a big, new shopping center, went up in that area.

Still the eagles came back to nest in a narrow strip of pines along Lake Front Circle between the United Methodist Church and Hughes Landing; they persevered, even during the construction hubbub for the shopping center.

Those audacious eagles couldn't be deterred from nesting here, no matter how many building projects were insinuated into their pine trees.

Developers of Hughes Landing protected the nesting area from human intruders by cordoning it off with fences that border the roadway. The nest is easy to spot from across the street, and people have been thrilled to watch our national bird raise a new generation year after year.

The adult eagles began feeding chicks in January. By the end of February, the chicks had grown into fledglings that will soon become "branchers" perching on nearby limbs. The adults will bring them food - but not for long.

More Information Bald eagles Weigh 10-14 pounds, stand 3 feet tall with a wingspan of 6-8 feet. The term "bald" comes from an archaic word meaning "shiny white." Fly 65 mph in level flight, 200 mph in a dive. Primary diet is fish, but eagles also eat ducks, geese, rats, snakes and carrion. Mate for life. Nests average 6 feet in diameter, 3 feet in height and are built in treetops close to streams and lakes. Typically nest in the Houston area October-May. Texas has a resident eagle population, along with two migratory populations of breeding and nonbreeding birds that arrive in the fall.

Read More

Eagles are strict parents. They'll zoom over the branchers uttering a fierce screaming sound as though they're telling the youngsters, "Fly off that perch and catch your own catfish."

If the juveniles continue hanging around the nest, the parents will kick them out.

These eagles are among those that migrate mainly to the Texas coast and inland to breed during winter. When I first saw them nesting in The Woodlands in 1999, I wondered what had attracted them to a booming suburban landscape.

The answer was staring me in the face as I watched an eagle soar over the lake.

It's the catfish, stupid!

Bald eagles are primarily fish-eating birds, being the sole "sea eagle" species in North America. Lake Woodlands offers them abundant catfish.

What better location to feed hungry chicks, despite bustling neighborhoods, busy roadways and crowded shopping centers.

The Woodlands eagles exemplify an interesting adaptation. They've adjusted to nesting in trees among noisy human communities adjacent to lakes or streams, rather than their traditional habitat of secluded forests surrounding lakes and streams.

Bald eagles symbolize not only our nation's strength but also America's ability to change.