SAN ANTONIO – Conservation groups are monitoring government efforts to change the habitat for migratory birds currently nesting at two different San Antonio parks.
Aleida Fuentes Boles, with Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc., is trying to bring awareness about the situation, hoping to get community members involved in finding a humane solution for the birds.
“There always other humane deterrent techniques. Some of the work we’re doing is researching,” Fuentes Boles said.
The concerns are at Elmendorf Lake Park, where great white egrets, cattle egrets and other migratory birds have been nesting for years.
The concern is over the flight path for military training and the possibility of an airstrike. The city of San Antonio, Joint Base San Antonio and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working on a mitigation effort to move the birds, but the efforts have stopped after eggs were found in a nest.
“The birds have done their natural thing and began to mate and began to nest,” Fuentes Boles said.
Federal law protects nesting birds from harassment.
A spokesperson for the city of San Antonio said the city is working on a survey to ask the community for help in solving the issue. The survey will be available online in a few weeks.
The USDA is leading the effort and will ultimately make the final decision.
The efforts to relocate the birds will start up again when the birds leave, possibly in the fall.
Just a few miles away, at Brackenridge Park, Alesia Garlock can’t contain her excitement as she watches the egrets and heron nesting above her.
“Watching that is awe inspiring,” she said.
Garlock’s concern is over the construction going on along the river walls and nearby historic sites. She said just recently, the trees were trimmed, and she worries about how clearing for nearby bushes will impact their stay.
“You keep taking from the wildlife, there’s nowhere else for them to go,” she said.
A spokesperson for the city parks department said the 2017 bond repair projects are on hold due to heavy rains. It’s unclear how and if the construction in the future will impact the migratory birds in the area. There will be informational meetings once construction picks up.
The spokesperson said the pruning of the trees was part of the annual maintenance of the park.
Some of the migratory birds that make a stop are the great white, cattle and snowy egrets and several species of heron, among other birds.
Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation is closely monitoring the situation at Brackenridge Park.
Fuentes Boles said that as people go out to enjoy Mother Nature this spring break, families are urged to be respectful of wildlife. If you see an animal in trouble, call 830-336-2725 and do not touch the animals.