Monty and Marsha arrived and began nest building in November of 2017. Click Here - to read that story. I still remember being filled with equal parts of excitement, optimism and disbelief. I was stunned that a pair of wild and free Bald Eagles would choose to build a nest between the 520 Freeway and Montlake Cut, two of the busiest places in Seattle. Not only that, the nest was visible and first seen, from Montlake Bridge. Imagine the unending traffic sounds of cars, buses and boats. Plus, there are the highly amplified sounds of ringing bells and horns blowing every time the Montlake Bridge goes up and down. Finally, that volume level gets multiplied exponentially on game days with the arrival and partying of an extra 75,000 Gulls, Crows and football fans.
For most of the last eight years, Monty and Marsha have centered their lives around their nest(s) at the east end of Montlake Cut, despite all the distractions.
In 2018, their nest collapsed in stages, and ultimately, both of their offspring ended up on the ground without the ability to take off and fly. Click Here - to read about the very eventful release of the uninjured one. The release of the second one went better because it occurred after a few months of rehabilitation. You can read that story by Clicking Here.
In 2019, one of their two young fell from the nest and needed to be rescued. Click Here - to read how a fire engine was involved.
In 2020, Monty and Marsha seemed to have only one offspring. The nest stayed relatively intact, and the young one appeared to fledge successfully. Click Here - to read the eaglet update from 2020.
In 2021, their offspring appeared to fledge successfully. The nest did not fall until after the young left. Click Here - for the First Flight post and Click Here - for the Nestless post.
In 2022, their young one left the nest prematurely. Rehabilitation at PAWS was required. After the healing was completed, the release (Thank You once again to Jeff Brown!) happened in front of the Waterfront Activities Center (WAC). Click Here - to read about a release which involved more than the average amount of water.
In 2023, their nest fell from the tree again. Luckily, their 2023 fledgling no longer required a nest at that point. Click Here - to read that story.
In 2024, Monty and Marsha moved their nest one tree to the south of their previous nest site. The tree was a bit smaller, the trunk was less vertical and probably not as well balanced. However, it did seem to have more supporting branches immediately below the nest. Click Here to learn more.Sadly, after a particularly strong Spring windstorm, their two young were spotted below the nest. They had not survived the fall.
In February of 2025, I saw one of the adult Eagles taking grass to the nest. Later, during Spring, I occasionally saw the pair behaving like Monty and Marsha - watching Union Bay from their favorite trees near the WAC. However, I never saw either one sitting in the nest and behaving like they were incubating eggs.As of November, it appears that they may be abandoning the Montlake Cut nest site.
The good news is they appear to be building a new nest in Portage Bay, which is still within their historical territory. (Thank you to the very kind and thoughtful Sally Oien, for the heads up!)
There is hope for young Bald Eagles in the Montlake-Portage Bay neighborhood in 2026!
The new nest they are building, like most Bald Eagle nest trees in Western Washington, is in a Cottonwood tree. My guess is local Bald Eagles prefer Cottonwood trees for three reasons:
1) Cottonwood trees typically grow near shorelines, which are where Bald Eagles prefer to search for fish and waterfowl.2) The small upper branches are relatively easy to break, compared to other trees, and very useful for nest building.3) The first major branches of a Cottonwood tree's trunk typically occur in the upper half of the tree, providing potential nest sites at a higher elevation compared to many other trees.
This new Cottonwood tree looks older, larger and hopefully more stable. On the flip side, the main trunk splits at a lower height than usual, so they are using a smaller secondary fork that may be weaker. Plus, there is invasive ivy growing around the lower portion of trunk - adding unnecessary weight. This new tree is not perfect, hopefully, it is an improvement. From a personal perspective, just knowing they are working on a new nest feels like positive progress.
This change does present us with a number of mysteries. For example: Can we prove that this pair of Bald Eagles really are Monty and Marsha? If so, how will they defend their Union Bay territory, if they cannot see it from the nest? If they lose the Union Bay territory will Portage Bay provide adequate food?
If you would like to see the location of the new nest Click Here. Look for the white star south of Portage Bay or select "Bald Eagle Nest - Monty & Marsha" from the legend on the left.
Hopefully, after experiencing many years of mishaps, they are finally learning to build a better nest.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and black birders are welcome!
Larry
Going Native:
Each of us who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and the local native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant, then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope, " explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, ie Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that provide food for the great majority of birds, especially when feeding their young.
Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.
This video explains the native keystone plant concept in more detail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard:
Additional content available here:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
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In the area below, I normally display at least one photo with each post to challenge us to know our native lifeforms. This time it is a sketch instead.
This drawing was designed to remind you of the trunk and branching habits of four native tree species found in the Pacific Northwest. Alphabetically, the four tree species are Black Cottonwood, Big Leaf Maple, Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. Can you arrange their names in the order they are shown, i.e. from left to right?
Scroll down for the answers.
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The major crotch in the Cottonwood, usually, provides a higher and better supported nest site for Bald Eagles, as compared to these other common PNW trees.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
