By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- Summer is heating up and things are getting wild on Bald Eagle Lake.
The body of water named for a bird has two types of water fowl that aren’t considered feathered friends by all.
At the June 5 township board meeting, Carol Ulman and John Dean, members of the Bald Eagle Lake Property Owner’s Association, requested the board pass two resolutions— one for the removal of geese, and one for the removal of an aggressive swan.
“We’ve had many complaints with the geese,” said Ulman, a trustee on the BELPOA Board. “The biggest problem is the poop on people’s property. The second thing is the quality of water. The board tests water twice a year and this year, there is a spike in ammonia levels, which usually comes from a lot of waste… The basic purpose of our board is to keep the lake healthy for residents.”

She and Dean also said there is a problem with an aggressive male swan at the lake. The bird and his mate have been nesting in a canal area of the lake near to W. Glass Road and Dunwoodie.
The pair of mute swans have been around for the past five years and the male has becoming increasingly aggressive, they said. Ulman noted the male swan nearly drowned her 60-pound dog, while Dean said his three children, aged 8, 9, and 11, are afraid to get in the water and the swan attacked kayakers that were 600 feet away from the nest.
“Snapping turtles got all their babies last year,” said Ulman. “This year, the swan is not backing down, it’s coming at you. If you’re on a jet ski, there is nowhere to go… If it was a coyote, people would shoot it.”
“All I have to do is open my back door and he comes cruising over and his neck cranes out and he starts hissing,” said Dean. “No matter what happens, I will protect my kids.”
Ulman and Dean were requesting the board adopt resolutions approving their permit application to the Department of Natural Resources for both geese removal and the removal of a single swan as the DNR requires either a resolution from a municipality or a petition signed by 70 percent of lakeshore property owners in order to take action.
The BELPOA hosted their annual meeting last month and notified residents that the geese and swan problem was on the agenda. Of the 40 people that attended the meeting, 38 signified they were in favor of the DNR removing the animals.
However, township board members noted that 38 residents was far from a majority of the roughly 175 property owners on the lake and declined to approve either resolution, instead encouraging the applicants to seek wider support from their neighbors.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Glover, Brandon substation commander, said at the meeting he had not received any reports of an aggressive swan on the lake and added that police and animal control have the authority to euthanize any animal acting aggressively toward humans.
On Tuesday, Glover went out to Bald Eagle Lake to observe the swan, but said the animal didn’t leave the water.
“If he comes up on land and is going to attack, it’s another issue,” he said. “He’s no more aggressive than any other swan I’ve seen. He is protecting what is there. Unless he comes out of water and on property, and is acting aggressive, there’s no justification to shoot him.”
Glover added that if anyone shoots at the bird, they will be written a ticket for reckless discharge of a firearm.
Animal control also came out to the lake to try and coax the swan out of the water using bread, but Glover said when the female got off the nest, the male took her place.

On Wednesday, Glover said a police report had been filed regarding the swan and sent over to the DNR, which had agreed to issue a permit for swan removal.
“Aggressive swans are not overly common on the lakes, but we get some complaints,” said Julie Oakes, DNR wildlife biologist. “It’s always more urbanized areas where they are constantly harassed by people. If you don’t allow them to reproduce and have eggs and young, it’s better. We urge property owners to be proactive and sign up for the egg destruction program.”
Mute swans, she added, are not native to Michigan. Removal of swan nests are covered by invasive species funding and wildlife services will take action free of charge to property owners. If the nest is on one person’s property, it can be destroyed.
“We encourage lakeshore property owners to not allow (swans) to reproduce,” said Oakes. “Usually when we get calls is when they have young. It won’t get any better when they hatch, there are more calls after. The local sheriff is allowed to do removal for public safety, they don’t need approval from us. It has to be police, not just any person… It’s unfortunate the township isn’t willing to help them out. Getting signatures from 70 percent isn’t easy.”
Oakes suggests the BELPOA send postcards to lakeshore property owners to garner the 70 percent support needed for both geese and swan removal. The DNR will not approve relocation of geese without accompaniment of nest destruction efforts, which residents will be trained to do. Oakes notes that simply relocating geese is not effective as the birds will return. Geese eggs must be removed from the nest, not shaken and returned.
“It’s not difficult— 99.9 percent of time when you approach the nest, they jump off, seldom do they get aggressive,” she said. “Geese are big, walking down pillows, no teeth.”
More information on mute swans and nuisance geese is available at www.michigan.gov/dnr