This is last month's "new-to-me" Bald Eagle nest, south of Portage Bay. I am guessing this nest was built by Monty and Marsha because historically Portage Bay has been part of their territory, and also because their Montlake Cut nest was unused this Spring.
By the way, given the size of this nest, I wonder if they might have built this nest much earlier in the year. Could they have laid eggs and raised young without anyone noticing? If anyone saw or photographed Bald Eagle activity here in the Spring, I would love to know.
Along with the new nest, this sketch shows the locations of the three previous Union Bay Bald Eagle nest sites. It also shows what I consider their most common flight paths, i.e., my rough understanding of their territories for the previous six or seven years.
The most common way I have to infer the size of their territory is to watch which way they fly when they leave a perch. Over time, I identified some of their habitual perches around Union Bay. However, at this point, I could use help determining where their most common perches are around Portage Bay. So far, I have noticed them landing in the Cottonwoods and on the snag north of the Montlake Community Center.
Watching them fly near the end of the day tends to be a prime time to see them approach their nests. Also, sometimes after catching food, eagles will return to eat near the nest. Plus, during Spring and early Summer, when they have eggs or young in the nest, they tend to return and stay in their nests quite often. We will learn a lot in Spring.
On 11/26/25, my friend Martin Tweedy informed me that two Bald Eagles were sitting on top of Husky Stadium. (Even at a distance, the female is visibly larger.) Perching on the Stadium struck me as quite odd. I don't remember Bald Eagles sitting up there, during the last 15 years. Often, Monty and Marsha (and sometimes Talia and Russ) would perch in the trees to the east of the Stadium. The trees are closer to the water and seem like better locations to watch for feeding opportunities, like ducks and fish.
As quickly as possible, I grabbed my camera and headed over to the Sky Bridge. It provides an excellent view of the Stadium, and the sky above Union Bay, Montlake and some of Portage Bay.
The combination of the new Bald Eagle nest in Portage Bay, the apparent abandonment of Monty and Marsha's Montlake Cut nest, and the new behavior on the Stadium caused me to wonder Who are these eagles? I was wondering which nest belonged to them. I waited and watched to see which way they would fly at the end of the day.
As darkness fell, the larger presumably female Bald Eagle left the stadium and flew directly toward me. As she passed over my head, I caught this dimly lit photo. She continued on in a straight line. Seconds later, the other eagle followed. They disappeared from view above the northern part of the Arboretum.
This area falls in the borderland between the "historical" territories of Monty & Marsha and Eva & Albert. Their direction of flight did not seem to resolve anything. I had been hoping they would fly toward the new nest in Portage Bay or maybe one of the previously known nests. I certainly did not expect a fifth choice. The observation increased my confusion, rather than reducing it.
Lucky for me, two days later, on 11/28/25, I got a message from my friend, Dhammadinna, that Bald Eagles were actively nest building in the north end of the Arboretum. I immediately headed to the Arboretum.
Richard Marks, who had crossed paths with Dhammadinna, was searching for the eagle nest from the Willcox Bridge. He mentioned it was easier to see them from the north side of Foster Island Road, so we headed over that way.
At this point, the pieces start to fall in place. This new nest was at the same place where the Bald Eagles coming from Husky Stadium had disappeared, two days earlier.
In addition, earlier in November, I received a message from Justin Green, Senior Gardener in the Arboretum. He mentioned Bald Eagles were seen gathering branches on Foster Island and flying to the southwest. I had searched this area but had been unable to spot any Bald Eagle activity.
During the winter, Bald Eagles will work on their nests, but their efforts are often sporadic. I suspect it may be related to good weather, good hunting and a great night's rest.
Plus, this nest is pretty well hidden in the blown-out top of a Fir tree. (Thank you, Joanna and Carl for correcting my initial assumption about the tree species. See the Going Native section below to learn more about this particular tree.)
Learning that we have two new Bald Eagle nests, within a mile of each other, in the space a one month is mind-boggling. Especially, given that from 2011 until this month, I have only known about one totally new Bald Eagle nest site around Union Bay.
Granted, many nests have fallen and been rebuilt during the last 15 years, but to my knowledge, they have all been restored in either the same tree or one close by. Finding out about two new nests in two totally new sites, in just one month, is incredible.
I have often thought that if we had fish in Arboretum Creek, the fish would attract more Bald Eagles. (This post from 2012 was my first expression of the idea.) However, never in my wildest dreams did I expect that Bald Eagles would return and nest next to the creek before the creek was "daylighted" and before the fish were enabled to return.
Hopefully, by Spring, we will have the answers to some of the following questions. Will we have Eagles nesting in all four of the currently expected locations i.e., Portage Bay, The Arboretum, Broadmoor (Eva & Albert), and the old Talaris Site (Talia & Russ)? Is there any chance Eva and Albert have expanded their territory to the west and, perhaps, they are this new pair? What are the dimensions of the new territories? Will the newest territory assumptions in the last graphic remain accurate? How will these changes impact the territories and behaviors of the existing Eagles? Will the new Eagles teach their young to hunt from the top of Husky Stadium?
It has been fun to watch the new pair coming and going back and forth from Husky Stadium to the Arboretum. After the UW football game on the 29th, they seemed to abandon the Stadium for a few days, but as of earlier this week, they were back.
I have also noticed them perched in the Douglas Fir tree next to Parking 16, just north of Foster Island Road.
Earlier this week, as darkness approached and the crows flew past, the Eagles reacted.
It is always nice to hear their voices.
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Breaking News:
My friends, Thomas and Helen Spiro, Have just published a wonderful new book:
"In clear, non-technical language this book tells you how the world's environment works. How are humans affecting it, and what does that mean for the future of the planet?
Go behind the headlines to understand what's really happening in the areas of climate change, energy use, pollution, access to clean air and water, biodiversity, and food production. Explore the problems we face, and the positive measures we can take to solve them, Learn how careful, informed stewardship helps us move toward a sustainable future."
Rather than simply focusing on the challenges, Tom and Helen have also included stories of stewards from around the world, who are working to help address these issues. From a mental health perspective, it is certainly great to hear about all the positive efforts.
Earth Wise - A Guide to Today's Environmental Issues
The content and timing of this book's release inspired me to think of it as a holiday gift idea. Happy Holidays!
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Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
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:
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In this area, I typically display at least one photo with each post to challenge us to know our native lifeforms. This week we have two sets of photos. The first set belongs to one of our native conifer trees, and the second set belongs to another. Your goal is to determine which two trees they are before scrolling down to the answer.
1A:
1B:
2A:
2B:
Scroll down for the answers.
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- Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is shown in the first set of photos.
- Grand Fir (Abies grands) is shown in the second set of photos.
The two tallest conifers in the middle of this photo are a Grand Fir (on the left) and a Douglas Fir (on the right). The Arboretum Bald Eagles, introduced in this post, are building their nest in the "blown-out" top of this Grand Fir.
The approximate location of this tree is shown earlier in the second sketch. However, it may help to realize the broken trunk in the left front of this photo is the remains of the tree that was
destroyed by lightening, a few years ago.
The Email Challenge:
Over the years, I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements. As of 2021, Google has discontinued the service.
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:
Another common issue is losing your input while attempting to leave a comment on this blog. Often everything functions fine, however, sometimes people are unable to make it past the robot-detection challenge or maybe it is the lack of a Google account. I am uncertain about the precise issue. Sadly, a person can lose their comment with no recovery recourse.
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
Sincerely,
Larry
Parting Shots:
On 11/26/25, my friend Martin Tweedy informed me that two Bald Eagles were sitting on top of Husky Stadium. (Even at a distance, the female is visibly larger.) Perching on the Stadium struck me as quite odd. I don't remember Bald Eagles sitting up there, during the last 15 years. Often, Monty and Marsha (and sometimes Talia and Russ) would perch in the trees to the east of the Stadium. The trees are closer to the water and seem like better locations to watch for feeding opportunities, like ducks and fish.
Great news! Even our national bird needs to keep adapting and adjusting its local home, to make way for new (immigrants?) or to simply find a better nesting site. Thanks, Larry, for your stellar local focus. You are a great example of a bird-watcher who focuses locally rather than chasing rarities across the country. Your local knowledge of the Arboretum and Union Bay is unsurpassed. Your photos and detailed observations continue to enlighten us all.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I do find it inspiring to see how nature keeps changing and adapting even, and especially, in an urban landscape.
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