August 2, 2023

All of the four eaglets have successfully fledged this year. Both the Minto pair and the Audubon pair raised two nestlings this season. The fledgling eagles are being seen less and less and will likely move away from the nesting area soon.

We greatly appreciate the work and time put in by our nest watch volunteers, they have provided excellent data and have been a great help by reducing City staff time needed to monitor the eagles and to comply with our permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

2023 Statistics:

• 150 volunteers -about 10 times as many as in 2022! 
• 380 volunteer observations
• Over 865 hours (over 51,000 minutes)
• Average observation period was 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The video montage has footage and photographs submitted by volunteers this year.

This will be the last webpage update until next season. Once again, our sincerest thanks go out to all of you who volunteered, we look forward to seeing you again early in 2024!

July 24, 2023

The first eaglet from the Minto nest fledged on Friday July 14th and has been staying close to the nest. The other eaglet in the Minto nest has been active in and around the nest, but has not yet fledged. We expect this eaglet to fledge soon based on its age and activity. Our photos this week are of the Minto nest fledgling and below is the report that identified the fledging event.

“Both eaglets were visible in the nest when I arrived. At around 10:49 am, one of the eaglets flew off from the nest, circled a nearby tree a few times, then landed back in the nest! It took another quick flight a short time later and landed in the branches to the left and below the nest. It returned to the nest toward the end of the observation. It's possible it was the other eaglet that flew the second time but I was not able to tell. At least one eaglet has fledged!”

Both fledglings from the Audubon nest continue to be seen in the area and are returning to the nest be fed by the adults. Thank you to our nest watch volunteers for their work!

July 11, 2023

Both Audubon eaglets have successfully fledged and are currently staying around as the adults are still feeding them at the nest. Both of the Minto nest eaglets are practicing flying from their nest and nest tree as you can see in the photos provided by our eagle watch volunteers. As of Tuesday the 11^th they have not fledged; however, we expect them to fledge very soon based on their estimated age and activity.

July 3, 2023

One successful fledging, three to go. As we reach the Fourth of July and the next weeks we expect to see a flurry of fledging fun from our founders favorite feathered friend. The bald eagle was adopted as our National Bird in 1782 (241 years ago).

This week we features quotes from some of our nest watch volunteers from the last week. Thank you for your observations and submissions!

Minto nest:

“For first 15 min, there was nothing visible at nest tree.  At 12:20, two eaglets emerged from back side of tree, apparently branching outside of the nest.  Both spent 15 min vigorously flapping in nest.  Adult was observed soaring beyond the nest tree.  At 1:10, adult arrived at nest with a fish.  After about 5 min, the adult flew from nest.  Young spent the next 15 min head down in the nest, presumably feeding.”

“Sunny, ~65° with slight breeze. Adult eagle on nest feeding with chicks when our monitoring period began. An adult visited the nest again about 45 minutes into our watch. Both chicks appear healthy. Both are eating, and both showed off their wings-stretched balancing act to move along the edge of the nest. Both also exercised their wings, but we don’t think they achieved lift. Many osprey in the vicinity, sometimes very close to the nest. Eaglets remained quiet, and we did not see any indication that the osprey are interested in the nest.”

“Clear Sunny day. No eagles visible in nest or vicinity 8:48 can confirm at least one eaglet in nest. 8:54. Adult flew two small circles around nest and left. Can see 2 eaglets in nest. 9:54 a few wing flaps, then multiple over the next 5 min.”

Audubon nest:

“The young eagle made a flight from the nest to a tree about 100 yards away. It landed precariously and did a lot of wing flapping to keep its balance. Over the course of about 30 minutes, it made its way back to the nest with short flights. One of the adults was nearby most of the time. After the young eagle had returned to the nest, the adult eagle flew down into the water about 10 feet from shore. The water was about a foot deep there. The eagle stood in the water for a few minutes and then waded to shore”

“The young eagle was in the nest and in the branches above the nest the entire two hours. It did a lot of wing flapping and jumping. Every time an osprey came hunting nearby, the young eagle called out a series of screams.  At one point, an osprey chased an adult bald eagle into the area. The osprey had the advantage of being above. As it closed in on the bald eagle , the eagle did a barrel roll onto its back and grabbed at the osprey. The osprey veered off and left the area. The adult eagle landed on a tree in the vicinity of the nest, where it stayed until a subadult bald eagle entered the area and landed nearby. The adult left at that point.”

June 27, 2023

One eaglet in the Audubon nest successfully fledged last week. It’s sibling is still in the nest gaining size and strength. The fledgling has been returning to the nest as the adult eagles continue feeding them both. The Minto nest eaglets are growing that continue to be fed by the adults. The eaglet food needs are high at this stage of development and the adult eagles are spending more and more time away from the nest to provide enough food.

One of our eagle nest watch volunteers captured these photos of the eaglets, the fledgling, and a series of an adult eagle fishing. Stay tuned, we anticipate the second eaglet in the Audubon nest and the two eaglets in the Minto nest to fledge in the next 1-3 weeks.

June 20, 2023

All four eaglets are growing rapidly and the adults are busy keeping them fed. The eaglets are almost fully feathered and they are spending more time moving around the nest and strengthening their wings by flapping and their legs by hopping. The eaglets are anticipated to fledge in early July.

We appreciate all the eagle watch volunteers who help monitor nests and provide the City with valuable information on nest status, eagle behavior, and impacts from activity on the nesting pairs and eaglets.

June 6, 2023

All four eaglets were observed this week. The eaglets are growing quickly now and are getting fully feathered. They continue moving around the nests and exercising their wings and legs. Adults continue to feed the eaglets and have been driving off multiple sub-adult eagles this week.

We appreciate all the eagle watch volunteers who help monitor nests and provide the City with valuable information on nest status, eagle behavior, and impacts from activity on the nesting pairs and eaglets.

May 30, 2023

Three of the four eaglets were observed this week, two in the Minto nest and one in the Audubon nest. A second chick may still be present in the Audubon nest; however, vegetation is limiting views of the nest so that was not confirmed this week. The eaglets are getting more and more active moving around the nests and exercising their wings and legs.

A subadult bald eagle entered the Audubon nest and interacted with the young chicks for about 20 minutes. The adult eagles were present and they did not drive the subadult away.

We appreciate all the eagle watch volunteers who help monitor nests and provide the City with valuable information on nest status, eagle behavior, and impacts from activity on the nesting pairs and eaglets.

May 22, 2023

All 4 eaglets (two in each nest) continue to grow in size and become more active. The eaglets continue to move around the nests and have been seen moving about the nests  exercising their wings. One eaglet was observed hopping and flapping. This behavior strengthens their flight and leg muscles in preparation for fledging.

We will continue to monitor until the chicks fledge (fly out of the nest). We ultimately want to know how many chicks from each nest survive and when they take their first flight.

May 15, 2023

All 4 eaglets (two in each nest) have been seen moving about the nests and stretching their wings. The adults are spending less time on the nest and more time perching nearby and bringing food to the growing chicks. We will continue to monitor until the chicks fledge (fly out of the nest). We ultimately want to know how many chicks from each nest survive and when they take their first flight.

May 8, 2023

Over the weekend, we were able to confirm that there are two eaglets in the Minto Nest. For those keeping count - that's 4 baby eagles (two in each nest) this season.

Now that the chicks have hatched, we will continue to monitor until the chicks fledge (fly out of the nest). We will ultimately want to know how many chicks from each nest survive and when they take their first flight.  

May 2, 2023

May 1, 2023

Audubon Nest: 

Volunteers have confirmed that there are two eaglets in the Audubon Nest. 

Minto Nest:

One chick has been seen repeatedly over the past few days in the Minto Nest. It hatched at least a week after the Audubon eaglets, so much smaller and still difficult to spot. 

April 26, 2023

Minto Nest: We've suspected we had a chick in this nest for a couple of days, but we finally were able to visually confirm its presence.  Again, volunteers Heather and Scott captured the little one on camera in the video above where you can just make out the head of the chick moving around in front of the adult eagle. The chick is still small and the nest is huge, so it may be difficult to see the chick until it gets a bit larger and more mobile, but keep watching and you'll get a glimpse of it soon enough. 

April 13, 2023

Audubon Nest: We have an eagle chick, folks! The chick was first sighted by volunteers Heather and Scott on April 12. They've also kindly shared a video. Since the chick is still very vulnerable, the parents should be sticking close by, but you'll also see more activity at the nest as they feed and care for their chick. 

Pair is still faithfully incubating their egg(s), taking turns hunting, and protecting their nest. 

1 eagle on nest 119 of 120 minute watch. When we began, one eagle on the edge of nest. Other eagle not in sight but returned to perch in nearby tree 10 minutes in. Throughout our monitoring period, the nesting eagle alternated between incubating position and being up on the side of the nest moving sticks. The other Eagle maintained the same pattern we’ve previously observed: Perched near nest tree for 30ish min, then flying away for 20-30 minutes before returning either to nearby tree or to the side of the nest. Also of note, at one point when both of our eagles were on the nest, a subadult buzzed the nest several times. The 1st time, no reaction from our eagles. The 2nd time, one of our eagles bent over aggressively and said something (likely rude, but I don’t speak eagle). The 3rd time BOTH eagles left the nest to chase the subadult away, leaving the nest unattended for less than one minute before one eagle returned to the nest and the other to the top of the nest tree.

Adult on nest when monitoring session began. At about 3:00, during heavy sleet conditions, a subadult perched about 50 yds away. After about 15 min, the subadult flew away and the adult also departed the nest. A couple min after that, an adult arrived, circled the nest; then landed on the nest and assumed incubating position (low in nest, only head visible). Five min after that, another adult arrived, perched briefly beside the other adult on the nest, then flew to and perched on an adjacent tree.

One adult eagle was sitting on the nest for the entire observation period. It stood up and shifted around briefly 3-4 times, otherwise it was in the incubation position. It was quite windy during a lot of the observation period. Three dogs were off leash in the buffer zone during this time.

Both eagle pairs appear to be incubating! From volunteer data, the pair at the Audubon Nest started incubation around March 13, and the pair at the Minto Nest started around March 16. For the next month or so, there should be an eagle on each of these nests non-stop. It may be hard to see the eagle on the nest at times, but unless you see both adult eagles outside of the nest, assume there is one on the nest and watch the nest closely for movement to confirm its presence. 

Volunteers Scott and Heather observed one eagle in flight and twice perched in a nearby tree. No activity was observed in the nest until 10 minutes before the end of their observation period when they were able to see the back of an eagle for several seconds before it lowered into the nest again. They report, "(Glad to be rewarded with a sighting after doggedly watching nest through binocs almost continuously for 100 minutes!) 🤪."

From the River Trail observation station, Volunteer Garrett observed two adults perched in the vicinity of the nest, 1 within the buffer and 1 outside the buffer across the river. 

Mike observed both adults outside of the nest, confirming that they are not yet incubating eggs. Once incubation starts there will be an eagle on the nest around the clock. The pair will take turns incubating the egg(s) and hunting and protecting the nest. You may see the eagle on the nest stand up to stretch or roll the egg(s) or trade off with its mate, but you shouldn't see the eagles both leave the nest for any length of time, especially in cold weather.

We expect that with this cold, wet weather, nesting season will be delayed for most species, including bald eagles. 

Eagle pair has been observed at and on the nest every day, as they continue to build their nest. Photo above is from a March 5 survey by volunteer monitor Laura showing an eagle returning with nesting material. 

This pair appears to be at the egg laying stage. Reports are mixed, with some seeing an eagle in incubation position on the nest for their full two hour observation period while others have report seeing both eagles off the nest at some point during their observation periods. We won't be able to confirm incubation is taking place until there is an eagle on nest around the clock (i.e. when we are no longer seeing both eagles out of the nest). 

Both eagles observed briefly in the nest and then perched in an adjacent cottonwood. 

Both eagles observed at the nest, with one spending all but 30 seconds in the nest while the other mostly perched nearby. 

Report from Volunteers Scott & Heather: "Snow day. Sunny when began [monitoring]. Eagle 1 perched near nest tree, eagle 2 not in sight. After 40 minutes, eagle one flew off and out of sight for 5 minutes then returned and flew near nest. Eagle 2 stood up in nest and joined eagle 1 in flight. They flew a couple circles together then perched on same branch (possibly mating but view obscured). An immature eagle flew near them and one of our eagles returned to nest immediately and the other eagle escorted junior out of the vicinity before landing on the same branch as when we first arrived. He flew and perched again before it began snowing heavily. Remainder of observation period (30 min) in heavy snowstorm with reduced visibility."

Volunteer Nicole reports that there were no eagles at the nest during 2 hour observation period. One adult eagle was observed flying over Observation Station 1.

One eagle was spotted in apparent incubation position in the nest, while the other eagle flew in and landed on a branch near the nest. Meanwhile a subadult eagle perched in a nearby tree across the slough at Riverfront Park. We'll want to keep a close eye on this nest now to determine if egg laying and incubation has begun.

Both eagles were observed perched in separate trees next to the river in the vicinity of the nest.

During Saturday's field training participants observed the pair returning to and leaving the nesting area multiple times and spending a short amount of time together in the nest.

Volunteers reported seeing the pair perched in and around the nest and flying in the vicinity of the nest.

Participants at Friday's Audubon Nest field training witnessed a subadult bald eagle (about 4 years old based on plumage) trying to get into the nest and the nesting pair chasing it off.

During Erica's volunteer monitoring period today, she saw the Audubon eagle pair mating in a tree close to the nest, and also saw one of the eagles bring a wiggly fish to the nest.

Audubon Nest:

During Erica's volunteer monitoring period today, she saw the Audubon eagle pair mating in a tree close to the nest, and also saw one of the eagles bring a wiggly fish to the nest.

Eagle pairs have been seen back at both the Minto Brown Island Park nest and the Audubon nest. Both pairs have been seen taking sticks to their nests.