Webcam viewers have been captivated watching tiny bald eagle chicks that hatched in a nest at Sauces Canyon on Santa Cruz Island.
There are 13 active bald eagle nests, with at least 22 known eggs laid thus far in the breeding season. The nests includes two on Santa Rosa Island, five on Santa Cruz Island, five on Catalina Island, and one on San Clemente Island.
“This is a great start to the bald eagle breeding season,” said Dr. Peter Sharpe with the Institute for Wildlife Studies. “Since I joined the bald eagle restoration project on the Channel Islands over 21 years ago, I have seen the number of breeding pairs increase from just three to potentially 21 active breeding pairs this year.”
There are five bald eagle webcams that capture the daily growth, feeding habits, and behaviors of the Channel Islands birds. They are available thanks to the generous support of explore.org and iws.org.
Explore Annenberg installed new cameras for some of the webcams, which now provide dramatic close-up views of the bald eagles and increased viewing quality (you can even see flies).
Bald eagles disappeared from the Channel Islands in the 1960s due the effects of DDT and human persecution. The increasing number of bald eagles due to recovery efforts on the Channel Islands is evident from the growing number of bald eagle sightings on the mainland. This year, Channel Islands birds have been seen far and wide, from British Columbia and Oregon to numerous destinations throughout southern and central California.
To view the bald eagle webcams visit: explore.org. For more information on Bald Eagles visit Institute for Wild Life Studies at iws.org (locations-California-find Santa Cruz on map).
To view a recording of the Sauces Canyon Bald Eagle chicks hatching visit:
