Thursday, July 9, 2020

Great Nest of Brownhelm Rises Again

The actual Great Nest
(Photo courtesy
National Geographic)
The staff at Lorain County Metro Parks has been working on a construction project down in the Bacon Woods area at Vermilion River Reservation that’s definitely not for the birds: a reproduction of the Great Nest of Brownhelm.

The Great Nest of Brownhelm was the famous American bald eagle nest that was located on Lake Road, halfway between Vermilion and Lorain. It was the largest known bird tree nest before it fell in a storm in March 1925. 

 I did a comprehensive history of the Great Nest back here. The blog post included rare photos from the elusive issue of National Geographic from May 1929 that featured Professor Francis H. Herrick and his eagle research over the years.

The Metro Parks’ reproduction nest is not officially done yet (the construction scaffolding just came down on Tuesday), but it’s quite wonderful to see, with the meticulous attention to detail.

I’ve been watching the nest take shape over the last few weeks, as I’ve passed it during my almost-daily walks on the trail there. At first I thought it was some kind of crazy treehouse, but soon I realized something special was going on and a small sign confirmed it. The sign noted that this new version of the Great Nest replaces the other reproduction that was on display at Carlisle Visitors Center.

Anyway, congratulations to the talented staff of Lorain County Metro Parks for a job well done.

By the way, Lorain County Metro Parks recently installed attractive new signage at both Mill Hollow and Bacon Woods. It looks great!

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5 comments:

  1. Tim BurtonJuly 9, 2020 at 6:34 AM

    Very cool post!

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  2. AnonymousJuly 9, 2020 at 8:46 AM

    They already have a replica in LaGrange...https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/ohio/theres-a-12-foot-replica-of-the-worlds-largest-eagles-nest-at-lagrange-raptor-center-in-ohio/ .. Bill N

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  3. Dan BradyJuly 9, 2020 at 8:55 AM

    Hi Bill, I understand the replica at LaGrange is no more. According to a small, temporary sign in front of the new reproduction, “Like the original nest, the Carlisle replica met the end of its lifespan. We hope that this new reproduction, built at a site closer to the original location, can continue to educate and inspire those who see it for years to come."

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  4. 70's & 80's kidApril 6, 2021 at 5:38 PM

    Dan, do you have any photos of the nature center that used to be where the outdoor stage is now? It had that amazing beehive made of plexiglass on display. It was liv and the bees came and went through an opening to come in and make honey. I know the nature center was there in the 70's. So was a Llama next to it.

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  5. Dan BradyApril 7, 2021 at 8:50 AM

    I’m sorry but I don’t really have any sort of photo archive of my own. But I’ll see if there is a photo of it in that very good Arcadia book about the history of the Lorain County Metro Parks. (I have tried in the recent past to establish a connection with the folks at the Metro Parks but I just don’t think historical materials are readily or easily available to the current staff and administration.)

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