7 Incredible LIVE Bald Eagle Cams! (Plus 3 BONUS species)

From the joy of watching a young eagle fledge to the devastating heartbreak of a lost hatchling, LIVE Bald Eagle cameras are incredibly interesting to watch. Each breeding season brings enough twists and turns to rival a soap opera. ☺

But I have found it can take a long time to find and check all the different eagle cam links each day.

So I created a page that features the BEST eagle nest cameras!

Table of Contents:

Bald Eagle Nest Cams: 7 live streams
Other Eagle Cams (Golden, White-tailed): 3 live streams
12 Frequently Asked Questions About Bald Eagles

The specific web address to a live stream can change without notice, so I try to update this page often. If any of the below camera links are not working, please send an email to: scott@birdwatchinghq.com, and I will get it fixed.

Lastly, let me know if you have any new eagle camera recommendations in the COMMENTS below!

Bald Eagle Cam #1: Decorah, Iowa

This eagle nest sits about 56 feet high in a large White Oak tree that overlooks a secluded valley in Decorah, Iowa. The nest is estimated to be seven feet wide and nine feet across.

The current nest is relatively new, as the old nest fell out of the tree in August 2018. None of the branches of the tree broke, so the resident Bald Eagles built the new nest in the same spot!

The male eagle is known as Mr. North. The female is called Decorah North Female, or DNF for short. She replaced another female named Mrs. North in the summer of 2018.

To learn more about the Decorah North Eagles, you can visit this webpage.

Bald Eagle Cam #2: Channel Islands, CA

You are watching a live eagle nest located on Santa Cruz Island, which is the largest island in Channel Islands National Park, 22 miles off the coast of southern California.

The Bald Eagles that live on the Channel Islands are a conservation success story. Due to the deadly effects of chemicals and the persecution of humans, Bald Eagles were eliminated from the Channel Islands by the mid-1950s.

But due to an aggressive reintroduction program between 2002 and 2006, sixty one eagles were released back into the Channel Islands and are thriving. If you want to learn more, you can view a 13-minute documentary about the return of the Bald Eagle HERE.

*Please note that sometimes at night and during the off-season, you may be watching “highlights” from previous years. Look at the lower left of the camera to see if it says, “Livecam Highlights.”

Bald Eagle Cam #3: Catalina Island, CA

Located on Catalina Island in southern California.

Bald Eagles were eliminated from Catalina Island in the 1950s due to DDT and humans but were reintroduced by the Institute for Wildlife Studies in 1980. The nest we get the honor of watching above has been active since 1991 and live streaming since 2005!

Eagle Cam #4: Fort Myers, Florida

*Breeding Season is over in Florida and the camera is offline.*

The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been broadcasting since the 2011-12 nesting season, and has become one of the world’s most popular live eagle cams!

The two eagles that are currently nesting here are named Harriet (female) and M15 (male). These eagles have been together since the 2015-16 nesting season and have raised many successful broods.

The Bald Eagles in southwest Florida typically lay their eggs in November, hatch in December, and the babies fledge (have grown enough feathers to leave) the nest in March.

If you’re interested in following updated details about this nest and its eagles, check out the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam blog.

Eagle Cam #5: San Bernardino, CA

https://youtu.be/B4-L2nfGcuE

This eagle nest is located in Big Bear Valley in the San Bernardino National Forest (California). The camera runs live 24/7 and is entirely powered by solar energy!

Located roughly 120 feet high in a Jeffrey Pine tree, Jackie (female) and Shadow (male) call this nest home. In 2018, they had their first chick together named Stormy, that fledged the nest.

If you are interested in updates from the Big Bear Valley blog about these eagles and their nest, click on this link to view their site.

Eagle Cam #6: Dale Hollow Lake, TN

Click HERE to watch this webcam on Youtube.

This Bald Eagle nest is located in northern Tennessee, close to the Kentucky border, and it overlooks Dale Hollow Lake.

The two eagles currently using the nest are named Obey and River. During the 2018 nesting season, they fledged THREE babies!

As far as activity goes, you can typically expect to see eggs laid in January. Then the babies will hatch sometime in March, and fledging occurs a few months later in the summer.

Bald Eagle Cam #7: Northeast Florida

Unfortunately, at this time, the American Eagle Foundation does not allow their live streams to be embedded into websites. You can watch the live cam here.

The two stars of this nest camera are Samson and Gabrielle. These two eagles took over the nest in the fall of 2019. It’s interesting to note that Samson was born and raised in this nest in December 2013!

To help identify Samson and Gabrielle, please view this PDF. Please note that A2 is the first name that was given to Gabrielle.

The nest was initially built in 2007 by eagles named Romeo and Juliet. It’s located in a slash pine tree, about 80 feet high. Romeo and Juliet were the resident eagles until 2019 and fledged 19 young through the years. In 2019, they were sadly driven from their nest by rivals.

The nest is now estimated to weigh over one ton since Bald Eagles continue to add to it every year.

Eagle Cams – Outside North America

The rest of the live nest cams on this page are not Bald Eagles. They are a collection of other eagle species located around the world!

Cam #8: White-Tailed Eagles in Norway

This nest features the popular White-tailed Eagles named Baron Blue and Baroness Barfoot, who live on the island of Smøla, in the western part of Norway. This area is known for its beautiful scenery, and for having the highest density of White-tailed Eagles in the world!

Baron Blue and Baroness Barfoot have been together since 2015 and have produced many young. You can expect to see eggs laid in March and baby eagles hatching towards the end of April. The eagles will then usually leave the nest at some point in July.

White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) are huge raptors that are widely distributed across both Europe and Asia. Depending on your locality, they are also referred to as the White-tailed Sea Eagle, Ern (or Erne), Gray Sea Eagle, or Eurasian Sea Eagle.

White-tailed Eagles prefer living near large bodies of water and need tall, old-growth trees or cliffs for nesting. They have a varied diet that mostly includes fish and water birds. White-tailed Eagles are closely related to Bald Eagles and occupy a similar habitat niche.

Cam #9: White-Tailed Eagles in Latvia

Above, you can watch more White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla). This nest is located in the western part of Latvia in Durbe County. It has been used as a nesting area since 2014.

This nest was built high up in a spruce tree (82 feet/ 25 meters), which is a rare tree for White-tailed Eagles to use. In Latvia, it has been found that about half of the nests are constructed in pine trees, a third in aspen, one-tenth in birch, and the rest are mixed between spruce, oak, and black alder.

You can expect to see eggs laid toward the end of February/beginning of March. Incubation lasts around 38 days, and the young eagles typically make their first flight after about 2.5 months in the nest.

I love how rugged this nest appears to be. It seems every time that I watch, the wind is blowing incredibly hard.

Cam #10: White-bellied Sea Eagles in Australia

*The above video is a recording. If you want to watch this stream, you will need to head to this Youtube page.*

This live eagle camera looks in on the nest of White-bellied Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster), which are gorgeous large raptors native to the coasts of Southeast Asia and Australia. They are also known as White-breasted Sea Eagles or White-breasted Fish Hawks.

This particular nest is located in the Newington Nature Reserve at Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia. The nest is built in a Broad-leafed Ironbark – a type of Eucalyptus tree – and is roughly 66 feet (20 meters) high. For a list of other Frequently Asked Questions about these eagles, please check out this link.

White-bellied Sea Eagles are opportunistic feeders and eat a wide variety of food, including fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, crustaceans, and carrion. Interestingly, when they hunt for fish, these eagles don’t dive completely into the water like an Osprey, but instead only put their legs into the water to pluck their prey and barely get their body wet.

Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the eagle breeding season is the opposite of those of us living in the north. White-bellied Sea Eagles typically lay their eggs each June, and then the babies hatch about 40 days later. Once hatched, the juveniles stay on the nest for about 80-90 days before fledging.

12 Frequently Asked Questions About Bald Eagles:

#1. How big are Bald Eagle nests?

Believe it or not, Bald Eagles make the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species! The most massive nest recorded was 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep, and weighed almost 3 tons!

The average nest is about 4 to 5 feet in diameter and 2 to 4 feet deep. Each year, the adult breeding pairs add to the previous year’s nest, typically adding about 1-2 feet of new material. Eagle nests usually don’t last past five years because they collapse from their immense weight in the tree.

Bald Eagles are not that selective about which type of tree they build their nest, as long as the location is open, has excellent visibility, is over 66 feet high (20 meters), and is near food.

*RELATED: 18 Fun Facts About Bald Eagles!*

#2. What do Bald Eagles eat?

Bald Eagles are opportunistic feeders that prey on a wide variety of food, but their most common source of food is fish! They are expert fish hunters and have adapted to swoop down to snatch fish from the water with their talons.

Bald Eagles are also known to eat other birds, mammals, and even carrion.

#3. Where do Bald Eagles live?

Bald Eagles have a wide range across North America, which includes most of Canada, Alaska, and all of the contiguous United States. They even can be found in northern Mexico.

Bald Eagle Range Map

Eagles are almost always found near large bodies of water where they can hunt fish and find large trees for nesting. They are found in deserts, islands, forests, mountains, and swamps. As long as there are fish to eat, it’s possible to find Bald Eagles.

#4. Do Bald Eagles mate for life?

It is thought that bald eagles mate for life. However, if one member of a pair dies or disappears, the survivor will choose a new mate. A couple that has repeatedly failed in breeding attempts may split and look for new mates.

#5. What are the risks for young Bald Eagles?

The most significant risk for young eagles usually comes from their older siblings. The oldest chick almost always has the advantage of a larger size and voice, which draws the parent’s attention. This extra attention means they are usually given more food, which can lead to starvation for younger chicks.

Sometimes the oldest chick even attacks and kills the younger ones, especially right after the eggs hatch, and the size difference is most notable.

Other risks come from nest collapses, bad weather, eggs that never hatch, or predation. Animals that have preyed upon baby Bald Eagles include Red-tailed Hawks, owls, large gulls, crows, ravens, magpies, wolverines, fishers, bobcats, bears, and raccoons.

#6. What does a Bald Eagle call sound like?

When I first heard the sounds that a Bald Eagle makes, I was shocked!

For such a large, fierce predator, they emit relatively weak sounds that are a series of high-pitched whistles or piping notes. The classic eagle call that you hear in movies actually comes from a Red-tailed Hawk!

Here are a few examples of the sounds you can expect from Bald Eagles. I would have guessed it was coming from a gull!

#7. Do Bald Eagles migrate?

Some do, and some don’t.

Northern eagles are migratory and head south in the winter to look for food when lakes and rivers freeze over. Birds that live in southern, warmer climates tend to remain in their breeding territory all year.

#8. How many eggs do Bald Eagles lay?

Bald Eagles lay between one and three eggs each breeding season. Two eggs are the most common number. On rare occasions, the female lays four eggs.

#9. How long does it take a juvenile eagle to leave the nest?

After hatching, young eagles tend to fledge the nest anywhere from 8 to 14 weeks of age.

But even after they have taken their first flight, juveniles remain close to the nest for another six to eight weeks before dispersing from the nest permanently.

RELATED: The 4 Types of Eagles Found in the United States!

#10. How long do Bald Eagles live?

In the wild, the average lifespan is around 20 years. The oldest confirmed Bald Eagle died at 38 years of age.

#11. Are Bald Eagles endangered?

The short answer is NO. Bald Eagles are not endangered, but this wasn’t always the case.

Back in the 1800s, it was estimated that North America had over 100,000 nesting Bald Eagles. Unfortunately, that number started to decrease due to habitat destruction and hunting. The problem became so bad that in 1940, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which made it illegal to kill, possess, or sell the birds.

But things only got worse for Bald Eagles.

After World War II, many farmers began using a pesticide called DDT. Once into the ecosystem, eagles would ingest this dangerous pesticide when they ate their prey.

DDT had EXTREME consequences for Bald Eagles. The chemical interfered with their reproduction by weakening the shells of the eggs. The eggshells were so weak that they broke during incubation or failed to hatch entirely. By the 1960s, just 20 years after introducing DDT, there were only around 400 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles left in the continental United States!

In 1978, the Bald Eagle was added to the Endangered Species list and given federal protection. Along with regulations involving DDT, eagles made a dramatic recovery, and in 1995 their status was changed from Endangered to Threatened.

In 2007, the Bald Eagle was removed entirely from the Endangered Species list. 🙂

#12. Are Bald Eagles actually bald?

No, Bald Eagles are not bald.

As you can see, they have white feathers covering their entire heads. The “bald” name derives from an old meaning of the word “white-headed.”

Check out one of my other LIVE camera pages:

8 Osprey Nesting Cameras [Updated often]
LIVE Bird Feeders Cams (7 Unique Locations – USA, Canada, Europe)
7 Live FALCON Nests From Around the World.