Eagle nest knocked down from toppled tree at refuge

Camera was installed 2 weeks ago after 20-year absence

Provided photo from Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge: A still from the nest camera showing the female eagle in the nest just before the tree came down.

By Dick Moss, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge board member

BASOM – The bald eagle nest that Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (FINWR) had trained its new nest camera on blew down this morning in high winds.

The old cottonwood near the Cayuga Pool that the nest was perched in came down at 5:58 a.m. It broke off near the base of the tree and was clearly hollow and rotten inside.

The female had roosted in the nest overnight and was in it when the tree blew over. There was concern about her safety until dawn broke and the camera could see both male and female perched together on a different tree branch.

Photos by Emma DeLeon: (Left) FINWR President Garner Light surveys the damage from the toppled tree. (Right) The base of the cottonwood clearly shows why it came down.

Bald eagles have nested in this same tree line for the past 25 years.

“Hopefully they build a new nest in the same tree line,” said FINWR President Garner Light.

Two weeks ago on Oct. 18, the nest camera was mounted in a different tree, so that equipment is still functional. Light said FINWR, in concert with refuge staff, the DEC and others, would determine whether the camera can be properly repositioned once the eagles build a new nest.

The tree line the cottonwood was part of has other possibilities for the pair to nest in.

“It’s such a shame that this happened right as we were getting going, but it could have been worse and hopefully both we and the eagles will move to plan B for the season!” said FINWR board member Emma DeLeon.

“Unfortunately, this kind of situation is not uncommon for nesting eagles,” DeLeon said. “The birds tend to build in large, old, trees in exposed areas, and the nests themselves can get quite heavy as the birds add sticks year after year. Luckily for our pair, there is still plenty of time to build a new nest, and many similar trees in the area to select from.”

There have been other positive signals.

“We observed a strong pair bond on camera over the past few weeks with the birds roosting together most nights and actively bringing in nest material,” she said. “We are hopeful that they will still have a successful nesting season whether we are able to catch it on camera or not.”