Charles Broley
Charles Lavelle Broley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Gorrie, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 4, 1959 (aged 79) Delta, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ornithologist, bank manager |
| Years active | 1899–1938 (banking), 1938–1959 (ornithology) |
| Known for | Banding Bald Eagles; early recognition of DDT ecological hazards |
Charles Lavelle Broley (December 7, 1879 – May 4, 1959) was a trailblazing American ornithologist specializing in raptors, particularly noted for his pioneering efforts in banding Bald Eagles and for his early recognition of the ecological hazards posed by DDT. After concluding a career as a bank manager in Winnipeg, Manitoba at age 58, Broley dedicated his winters to banding 1,240 eagle nestlings up until 1959 in Tampa, Florida. His extensive banding records uncovered surprising migratory patterns, showing that Florida Bald Eagles traveled long distances to Canada. Starting in the mid-1940s, Broley was among the earliest scientists to associate the decline in eagle nesting success in Florida with exposure to DDT.
Early Life and Banking Profession
Born in 1879 in Gorrie, Ontario to a Methodist clergyman, Broley relocated with his family to nearby Elora. At age 15, he trained as a telegraph operator before joining the Merchants Bank of Canada branch in Elora in 1899. By 1905, he had advanced to branch manager in Delta, Ontario. In 1908, he married Ruby E. Stevens. When Ruby developed tuberculosis, Broley moved to manage the Merchants Bank branch on Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1918 to provide her with a drier environment; she passed away in 1921. He remarried in 1923 to Myrtle Jeanne McCarthy, who later chronicled his work in the book Eagle Man. Their daughter Jeanne was born in 1928.
Broley continued as manager of the Winnipeg Merchants Bank branch through its 1923 consolidation with the Bank of Montreal until retiring at age 58 in 1938. Throughout his banking tenure, he cultivated a passion for ornithology, regularly contributing to A.G. Lawrence’s "Chickadee Notes" column in the Winnipeg Free Press and serving as secretary and chairman of the Natural History Society of Manitoba’s ornithological section from 1924 to 1934.
Florida Eagle Banding Activities
Following retirement and a European tour, the Broleys established seasonal residence in Tampa, Florida, while spending summers at their cabin on Whiskey Island near Delta. On their way to their initial winter stay in Florida, Broley attended the 1938 American Ornithologists' Union meeting held in Washington, D.C., where Richard Pough suggested employing local youths to band Bald Eagles and provided him with four bands. Initially relying on these boys to climb nests proved inconsistent, prompting Broley to undertake climbing himself.
He fashioned rope ladders with wooden rungs; his primary ladder measured 45 feet, with additional ladders attached for taller ascents. Maintaining physical fitness through chin-ups and agility exercises allowed him to ascend trees effectively. Between 1938 and 1959, Broley climbed over 1,100 trees along Florida’s west coast—from Inverness down to Fort Myers (a span of approximately 160 miles)—to band a total of 1,240 eagle nestlings. Myrtle Broley made one solo climb into a nest while their daughter Jeanne participated multiple times.
Although media often described his efforts as a "hobby," Broley's work was both physically demanding and perilous. Some nests were situated as high as 125 feet above ground. He frequently endured scratches and punctures inflicted by eaglets. One particular nest located within a cypress swamp was challenging to access due to deep water, thick underbrush, and the presence of cottonmouth snakes. A 1957 article from Atlantic magazine detailed additional obstacles he faced: climbing fire-damaged or unstable trees; being mistaken for a government revenue agent; nearly losing his vehicle during a grass fire set deliberately to drive him away; and being arrested several times under suspicion of illicit activity. On one occasion, he narrowly avoided harm after stepping on a coiled diamondback rattlesnake and was startled by an Eastern Coachwhip Snake near another nest. Although he occasionally wore protective boots during fieldwork, Myrtle felt he did not use them frequently enough.
Broley also recorded unusual objects Bald Eagles brought back to their nests—items such as light bulbs, Clorox bottles, rubber footwear, children’s garments, fishing tackle, family photographs, wax candles, epiphytes, magazines, and vividly colored fabric scraps. To support his research financially and raise awareness, he delivered hundreds of lectures to bird clubs and civic organizations using color films and interactive presentations showcasing these curious nest materials.
In addition to his Florida activities, Broley banded a smaller number of Bald Eagles near his summer residence at Delta in Ontario; by 1947 he had banded twenty-nine eaglets there.
Outcomes of Florida Eagle Banding Efforts
Broley tagged 1,000 eaglets, with 90 recoveries predominantly from deceased birds, many of which had been shot. His research transformed the perception of eagle migration patterns: Florida Bald Eagles, previously believed to be non-migratory, were demonstrated to undertake extensive travels. The first eaglet banded in January 1939 was discovered dead over 1,100 miles away in New York by May. Additional recoveries extended as far north as Canada, including one found on Prince Edward Island nearly 1,600 miles from the original banding location, and the most distant was shot approximately 200 miles north of Winnipeg, about 2,000 miles from where it had been tagged.
In a 1947 publication, Broley observed an absence of band recoveries in Florida between June and October and no returns to northern areas from January through March. He concluded that nestlings migrated northward after fledging and then returned south during winter months. Broley hypothesized that mature eagles followed similar migratory routes, a theory supported by sightings of migrating flocks during spring and fall but few observations in summer. The notable increase of Bald Eagles at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in September was attributed to Florida-origin birds moving southward. It is now understood that many subadult and non-breeding eagles migrate north for the summer season before heading back south for winter.
DDT
Broley’s most productive year occurred in 1946 when he banded 150 eaglets from 105 nests. However, beginning in 1947, there was a significant drop in nesting success characterized by numerous unhatched eggs, deserted nests, and adults present but failing to breed. At first, Broley blamed Florida’s high temperatures; other explanations considered included harsh winters, hurricanes, and increasing human population. Ultimately, he identified the introduction of DDT in 1945 as the primary cause and emerged as an early advocate warning against its environmental damage.
He provided testimony before the Florida legislature in 1957 and noted only three eaglets were produced in 1958, attributing adult infertility to DDT exposure (which is now known to cause eggshell thinning). Rachel Carson referenced Broley’s observations on declining eagle populations in her seminal 1962 work Silent Spring, underscoring the pesticide’s detrimental ecological effects.
Passing
Soon after returning to Delta in spring 1959, Broley suffered a fatal heart attack at age 79 while combating a brush fire near his cabin at Whiskey Lake. He was interred at Stevens Cemetery in Delta beside his first wife, Ruby; his second wife, Myrtle—who had passed away fourteen months earlier—was buried in Tampa. The cabin on Whiskey Island still stands today.