<< back to Bald Eagle FAQs

How Can I Tell If There Is An Eagle Nest in My Area?

You can contact your local WDFW biologist to determine whether there is an eagle nest recorded in your area. Eagle nests are recorded when they are found during official surveys, but they are also recorded following tips from the general public, if they are confirmed by a WDFW biologist.

If there is a nest in your area, you can often find it by observing the eagles’ behavior. Eagles carry sticks to nests. This can occur any time of year, but eagles are particularly active with nest-building Oct – Feb. If you see eagles carrying sticks, notice and map where the birds fly to. Eagles also carry food to nest sites. This is not a definitive sign of a nest, as they may be carrying prey to a favorite perch tree, but if eagles habitually carry prey to a particular area, it is a good indication that a nest may be near by. This activity is most likely to occur April – June, when chicks in the nest are being fed.

Other habitual behavior, such as birds leaving and entering a stand of trees at similar times of day, and in a similar location, is also suggestive. Breeding eagles are present on breeding territories nearly all year, except for Aug – Sept when they usually head to Canada to feed on the first of the migrating salmon.

Therefore, if you habitually see a pair of birds Oct – Mar, then a single bird Mar – June (if incubating, one bird will always be in the nest out of sight) , then a pair and perhaps one or two juveniles in July, followed by no birds in Aug – Sept, you may be seeing the typical behavior of a pair with a nest nearby.

To find the actual nest tree, look for the largest or second largest tree in the stand. The nest will be in the top of the tree or as far down as 50 ft from the top. The nest will usually be close to the trunk and be very large (4-6 ft in diameter). Some nests cannot be seen from the ground at all, but others are fairly obvious. If a nest is actively being used, you are likely to see “whitewash” (droppings) beneath the tree. The whitewash is usually in very fine droplets like a fine dusting of snow, several to as many as 10 ft from the tree, in a circle all the way around, or just on one side.

Sometimes an abundance of sap oozing from a wound in the tree can be mistaken for whitewash, but the sap drops are larger and, of course, smell like tree sap (piney). You will also find prey remains below an active nest, even if there are no chicks present (adults frequently use nest trees as perch trees). Common prey remains that are diagnostic of eagles (rather than owls or hawks) are seagull and duck feathers, and fish jaws. In June and July, if there are chicks present, they usually make quite a bit of noise so the nest can often be found by following the sound of the begging chicks.