Eagle Nest Update: May 29, 2026

On my last visit to the Benbow Bald Eagle nest last Friday, it appeared that perhaps one of the two eaglets had died. Over the years we have known this to happen more often than not when we have been able to see two hatchlings at first. Up to 30% of baby eagles never make it to fledging.

*Here one of the parents looks down toward the dark brown form at the right side of the nest. It’s hard not to anthropomorphize about what this means.*

Sometimes there is not enough food, sometimes the stronger sibling picks on and kills the weaker one. Other times a baby might fall out of the nest or be tossed out by a big storm. In this case it’s impossible to know. As sad as it is, the remaining eaglet will stand a better chance of survival and as of last Friday it appears to be strong and healthy.

This video is a sequence of clips that shows both the strong eaglet and one of the parents appearing to give attention to a dark form lying low in the nest on the right side as we look at it. It could be some leftover prey, but based on the tenderness both of the other eagles seem to express as they look at the form, I suspect it is the body of the second eaglet. It was harder to see into the nest than usual because of the light that day, so I had no clue what I was seeing until I got home and could look on the computer. The one remaining mystery is that by the end of the sequence, the form seemed to have moved, or maybe been moved by the adult, from its position.