Longstanding eagle nest at Clearwater dealership here to stay: ‘They’re part of our history’

CLEARWATER, Fla. - At Walker Ford in Clearwater, there are Mustangs, Broncos, Raptors – and even real raptors.

A pair of Eagles have called the dealership home, and Louise Roy, the Eagle Watch coordinator for Pinellas County, said they've named them "Walter Ford" and "Ruth Ford."

Ruth and Walter built a nest on a cellphone tower at the dealership 20 years ago, but with changing technology, the owner of the tower is taking down all the equipment at the top. They got a federal permit to remove the eagle's nest and the platform that holds it.

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"If they would take their equipment down and leave the platform, I would be happy and so would Walker Ford and everyone else around here," said Roy.

Like most eagles in the area, Ruth and Walter have become urban eagles. As more trees came down over the years, more towers went up and the eagles adapted.

Roy said there are close to 40 nests in cell towers in Pinellas County – more nests in towers than in trees. However, she said cell towers are being updated without platforms where eagles build their nests.

That's ruffling feathers among eagle lovers.

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"We volunteers are seeing what's happening. They're losing their homes," said Roy.

So, she and her friends took to Facebook to plead the eagles' case in an effort to stop the removal of Ruth and Walter's nest. Now it seems, their efforts have paid off.

Jennifer Walker said their dealership got a call from a Verizon representative on Wednesday. He told her the cell tower's antennas would come down, but the platform and the eagle's nest would stay.

"They're part of our history," said Roy. "They're so majestic. Why should we destroy their nests?"

Roy will be watching when little eagles hatch next month in the nest, on the tower, where there are lots of Fords, including Ruth and Walter Ford, the urban eagles with a safe home at the dealership.

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