Chris Morris stopped abruptly on the sidewalk approaching White Rock Lake, urging the park visitors alongside him to do the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you stand out here for a couple minutes or so, you\u2019ll hear them calling at different times,\u201d Morris said. \u201cA neat thing about bald eagles is that the sound we hear in movies and TV shows, that\u2019s a red tail, whereas eagles\u2026 here we go. Right there. We\u2019ve got one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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An eaglet flies over White Rock Lake on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
An eaglet lands alongside a bald eagle at White Rock Lake on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle pulls a fish from White Rock Lake on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
An eaglet and bald eagle stand in the water at White Rock Lake on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
An eaglet flies over White Rock Lake on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle flies over White Rock Lake with a fish, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
The City of Dallas\u2019 Urban Biologist was on a mission to find the family of five eagles who\u2019ve chosen a peculiar place to settle down: the ninth-largest city in the country.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He instinctively rattled off facts as he followed the eagles’ chirps. Eagles, he discovered in 2023, seem to prefer classical music to songs with a droning bass. Contrary to popular belief, female eagles are larger because they have \u201cmore of an investment in the next generation,\u201d he said. Male eagles do most of the hunting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Though his work as a member of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department\u2019s Conservation and Forestry Team takes him throughout the city\u2019s roughly 400 parks, Morris can often be found at White Rock, checking on the eagles and sharing a wealth of wildlife knowledge with anyone who wants to listen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas\u2019 feathered residents\u00a0<\/p>\n For years now,<\/a> a pair of eagles dubbed Nick and Nora by White Rock Lake-area residents has called the area home, returning even though storms destroyed their nests in 2022<\/a> and 2024<\/a>. In March, the pair hatched three baby eaglets<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is very unique because historically, when you have wildlife in cities, wildlife always loses,\u201d Morris said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Nestled in the heart of a major urban area, the eagles chose a tree near White Rock Lake\u2019s Stone Tables<\/a> for this year\u2019s nest. It\u2019s an area marked by the steady drone of traffic, punctuated by sirens from emergency vehicles. And it\u2019s 60 feet away from one of the busiest public restrooms at the entire lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is probably the worst site of the lake they could have chosen,\u201d Morris said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Due to the birds\u2019 protected status under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the city has placed federally advised borders around the nest \u2013 330 feet of protection surrounding the nest plus another 330 once they begin to venture out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n This has proved difficult for Morris and his boss, Conservation Manager Brett Johnson, in such a vibrant urban area.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you close down a state park, no one comes onto the property. They\u2019re like, all right. They don\u2019t test you or try to get in places,\u201d Morris said. At White Rock, \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a logistical nightmare.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Morris and Johnson closed the playground, trail and road surrounding the nest at times this spring to help keep the young birds safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n The community of nature photographers and eagle enthusiasts who frequent the lake text Morris when they perceive the eaglets\u2019 safety to be at risk, typing \u201cHey, someone\u2019s running across the barriers!\u201d and \u201cThe parents fed two of the eaglets, but not one of them.”\u00a0<\/p>\n But there isn\u2019t much his team can do to legally enforce eagle protections, Morris said, as the responsibility of law enforcement falls on state and federal game wardens who do not have the capacity to frequently monitor the birds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Morris knew it would take more than what he joked was the entire supply of chain barricades at Dallas\u2019 Home Depot and Lowe\u2019s stores to keep the birds safe. So, he decided to lean on his passion for education.\u00a0<\/p>\n