Officials in Michigan's Oakfield Township said growing crowds of bald-eagle watchers have led to new restrictions.

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Township Supervisor William Dean said onlookers on the shoulder of 12 Mile Road in the township have grown so numerous that their presence is creating a safety hazard, WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, Mich., reported Tuesday.

"When you get 60 or more people they start bulging out in the road clear to the center line," says Dean. "If somebody gets swatted we are the ones who have to pick him up. We are the ones people take to court."

Dean said fines of up to $250 will be given out after "no stopping" and "no standing" signs are erected next to the road.

He said the onlookers are attracted by a mated pair of eagles raising two babies in a tree a few hundred yards from the road. He said bald eagles tend to use the same nests for four to five years, so he anticipates the problem will appear again in the future.