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Eagles, eagles everywhere! As you make your morning commute or are on the water in the spillway fishing, have you noticed it has become the norm now to see bald eagles? There was a time not too long ago it wasn’t.
I can remember those times back in the ’80s and early ’90s, when bald eagle nests were protected and there were mandated “work arounds” in the marshes prohibiting human activity.
Following the ban of DDT in 1972, the idea back then was to protect the nests and let nature take its course. And indeed, it did.
Nearly two decades ago, in the early 2000s, I was duck hunting in a large pond and perhaps a quarter mile away noticed an eagle nest in a grove of cypress trees. On weekends I’d hunt that pond and during lulls in the action turn my attention to the eagle nest.
There were two eagles tending the nest. They would come and go, seemingly taking turns, where one or the other always stood guard.
On bluebird days, the morning sunlight would reflect off their pure white heads, where they lit up like a star.
They never seemed to be bothered by our shotgun fire, where every so often the eagles would hunt the far end of the pond chasing ducks and coots. Those were always National Geographic moments, especially when one flew away with breakfast in its talons.
I wanted to get closer to the nest to take pictures of this great site and decided that after the duck season closed to do just that.
To get to my duck blind in the shallow pond, I push-poled a 10-foot Jon boat. This would be my mode of travel on the photographic journey.
On the day I made the trip, my wife decided to go with me. We got up early and made it to the pond just before sunrise donned in drab clothing and hip boots with a little day pack holding our cameras.
The pond and marsh were wonderfully quiet, with only the whoosh-pause-whoosh sound of the boat moving steadily forward interrupting the peacefulness.
I pulled the boat up on the bank and we got out. We still had a couple hundred yards to walk in order to be close enough for a decent shot with our cameras. What I didn’t know or plan for, was how boggy the marsh was around the duck pond. What’s more, how we were going to stay dry.
Having no Plan B, we would simply squat down and hide in the grass and get our butts wet. It was so fun!
Adventures aren’t adventures without some sort of struggle, hardship, or blunder that makes up the plot to the story.
Bald eagles are large birds with wingspans that range 6 to 7 feet. Our safe distance from the tree and their sheer size made it easy to get pictures with our 400mm lenses. This remains one of Christine and my most fun adventures.
Today, it’s nothing to drive automobiles and boats so close to perched bald eagles you can take pictures with a cellphone.
Last weekend while driving down La. 317 in Centerville, I saw a half dozen black vultures and two bald eagles fly off an animal carcass. The roadkill turned out to be a hog and the scavengers were making quick work of the fresh meat.
All the birds flew off the carcass and perched in the nearby trees as I approached and waited for me to pass. I had two of my grandsons with me and said, “Boys, you want to see some eagles?”
One of them is still in the car seat age and the other just out of a booster chair, where they couldn’t see the birds. They both gave me an affirmative.
Looking through my rearview mirror I could see the eagles and vultures return to the dead hog. I turned my truck around at the first sugarcane field driveway I came to and returned up the road.
As I got close to the roadkill I slowed down and rolled the windows down where they could see. Once again, the birds flew up into the roadside trees and this time the boys got a good look at the eagles and vultures.
Papa scores again with yet another successful outdoor adventure, even if this time we were spying bald eagles from the road while in the confines of a vehicle.
Speaking of adventures, the 20th Annual Eagle Expo and More started this week with a whole slew of activities available for bird and nature lovers to participate in. The Eagle Expo annually draws visitors from out of state, as St. Mary Parish rests in the epicenter of the bald eagle’s recovery area which helped lead to its delisting from the Endangered Species List in August 2007.
Boat tours, where participants can view bald eagles in their natural surroundings, have been filling up fast as EXPO time approaches. It’s recommended to contact the Cajun Coast Tourism event organizers at (985) 380-8224 or (800) 256-2931 to check on and register for any available tour seats.
For more information on all programs over the course of the weekend, go online to info@cajuncoast.com.
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.

B. C. (Beverly Carlin) Fernandez was born on 8-13-1942 in Jacksonville, FL to Beverly H. and Janet Carlin. He died on Thursday, 2-6-25 at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, LA.
He was a resident of Morgan City and a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church since 1948.
BC was pre deceased by his parents, Janet and Beverly Fernandez, wife Yvonne Klutts Fernandez, brother Charles H. Fernandez, and son George Fernandez.
He is survived by his wife Wendy Kiffe Fernandez, daughter Cynthia Fernandez (Robert) Sandner of Phoenix, Charles (Christine) Fernandez of Georgia, and Clinton (Brandi) Fernandez of Oklahoma. He leaves behind six grandchildren: Mason (Gabby) Sandner, Cade Fernandez, David (Emily) Dekkers, Matthew Fernandez, London Fernandez, and Nova Fernandez and one great-granchild, Logan Dekkers.
BC graduated from Morgan City High School in 1942 and served as class president, attended Pelican Boy’s state while receiving honors such as the Woodmen of the World’s American History Award and the American Legion Award. He attended Nicholls State University and was a member of the student government. He also attended Loyola Law School. He was a notary public.
He was always proud to say his working career was spent in support of the Oil & Gas Industry. He had an ownership interest in Dolphin Workboats, Inc., and Service Machine & Shipbuilding Corp.
Community activities included membership in the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District (Treasurer), Lakewood Hospital Board, and the Krewe of Hephaestus. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Mary Industrial Group, Petroleum Club, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), and Kiwanis Club (Outstanding Member, 1966).
He was a Master Mason (Morgan City, Doric 85), 32nd Degree Mason (Baton Rouge Consistory) and a Shriner (Baton Rouge, Acacia Temple). He was King of the Krewe of Hephaestus in 1993.
The family would like to thank the staff at Ochsner Neuro-ICU and Palliative care for their excellent care of B.C.

The Louisiana legislative auditor’s latest annual report details over $3 billion in missing, misappropriated, overstated or understated funds across 18 state agencies and political subdivisions.
The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness had one of the most significant financial accountability failures. The agency failed to properly document expenses, exceeded cost estimates, and violated procurement guidelines in reimbursement requests, totaling $177.8 million in unsupported costs and another $52.6 million in improper contract spending.
Similarly, the Louisiana Department of Health misreported federal Medicaid expenditures, leading to $18.3 million in questioned costs. This includes duplicate reporting of a $16.6 million Medicaid expense. Further, LDH spent $720.5 million on Medicaid Managed Care Organizations for beneficiaries who did not receive services, raising major accountability questions.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission failed to adequately oversee $47.1 million in subrecipient funds for job training programs, and its failure to comply with federal reporting rules affected $38.7 million in workforce program funding.
The Louisiana Department of Education overreported $2.3 billion in federal child nutrition grants and misclassified nearly $1 million in education stabilization funds. The agency also failed to properly track LaCarte and travel card purchases.
At the local level, the Grant Parish School Board may have been overbilled by contractors for mold remediation, resulting in $4.6 million in potential improper payments. In the city of Bogalusa, officials improperly used $468,125 in federal COVID-19 relief funds for employee bonuses, violating federal spending guidelines.
Despite years of audits, some agencies continue to repeat financial missteps. the homeland security office alone has amassed $2.4 billion in flagged expenditures over the years, with $256.7 million newly identified in this report.
The Health Department has failed to correct Medicaid eligibility determination errors for four consecutive years, contributing to millions in improper payments.
Many of these issues persist year after year and underscore a need for stronger accountability measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are used appropriately.

Nicholls State University is set to host the inaugural Louisiana’s Restoration Generation Coastal Summit 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 12 in the Cotillion Ballroom.
The event, sponsored by Restore the Mississippi River Delta and the Nicholls Mass Communication Department, aims to explore issues related to conservation in Coastal Louisiana while inspiring the next generation of coastal advocates. 
The summit will feature presentations, panel discussions, coastal and cultural vendors, and live Cajun music.
Bren Haase, executive director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, will deliver a keynote presentation on “Restoration in the Barataria and Terrebonne Estuaries.” Panels will include “The People of our Coast,” “Careers in Coastal Restoration,” and “Louisiana’s Restoration Generation: Students Making an Impact.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Nicholls State University for the first Coastal Summit," said Emily Guidry Schatzel, senior communications manager for Restore the Mississippi River Delta. 
"This event is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about Louisiana’s land loss crisis and discover solutions they can directly plug into to help, while also exploring careers in coastal restoration.
"By engaging in these critical discussions, these students are standing up for their coast — helping to drive meaningful discussions that can help shape the future of Louisiana’s coast."
Attendees can register at www.nicholls.edu/maco/coastal-summit. While registration is not required, it is encouraged.
Registrants will receive a conference bag, discounted Louisiana-themed lunch in the Vernon F. Galliano Dining Hall, and entry into a raffle drawing. The summit is free and open to the public.
Pre-registration closes on Thursday, March 6.
The summit is part of a service learning project for students studying environmental communication, global communication and public relations.
Louisiana’s Restoration Generation is a movement of college students who aim to engage the college student population on issues of concern in Coastal Louisiana, encourage students to explore career paths in restoration industries, and inspire students to become conservation advocates for Coastal Louisiana. I
The summit is a part of the Nancy Sanderson Matherne Institute for Global Communication in the Nicholls Department of Mass Communication.
“Communication on coastal issues is something important to us in the Department of Mass Communication," said Nicki Boudreaux, assistant professor of Mass Communication and director of the NSM Institute for Global Communication.
"We see this as an opportunity to give our students important real-world experience while making an impactful difference for our community and our state.
"This is our opportunity to create a movement.”
For more information, contact nicki.boudreaux@nicholls.edu.