Politics & Government

Council Selecting Names For Baby Eagles Tonight

The city received 230 name suggestions and will draw the names at the meeting tonight.

By Bay City News

The Dublin City Council tonight will select names for two baby eagles that were recently hatched by "Bella," a golden eagle who has been nesting in the city since at least 1989.

During Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Festival, the city's Neighborhood Resources Department held a "Name Bella's Baby" contest to raise awareness about Bella and the region's golden eagles.

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The contest generated much interest, and a total of 230 entries were submitted. The most common names suggested include Dublin, Goldie, Lucky and Patrick.

The City Council won't choose the names it likes, but rather will simply draw two winning names from the entries that have been submitted.

Find out what's happening in Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Golden eagles are a federally protected species because of their declining population, city analyst Erin Steffen said in a report to the City Council. Dublin's climate, terrain and vegetation provide an ideal habitat for golden eagles, Steffen said.

Since 1989, Bella has been documented to continuously return to her nesting spot in Dublin during the annual breeding season, which begins in January, according to Steffen.

Dublin spokeswoman Linda Smith said the city has taken steps to preserve Bella's nesting site, including establishing a preserved habitat, restrictions on nearby construction activity during the annual nesting season and installing a solar-powered camera to monitor her nest and provide live viewing to the public.

Smith said the area where Bella resides is east of Fallon Road, where there has been construction activity, including the building of a development called Bella Monte.

She said the development isn't named after Bella, and the name is just a coincidence. But Smith said work on the development has been slowed down while Bella is in the area.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here