The Eagle Nest Cam operated by the non-profit American Eagle Foundation (WWW.EAGLES.ORG) is now online. You may watch it live on the screen below, or you may wish to join in the "chat" on our UStream channel. (You must first be "logged in" to participate in "chat.") See chat rules below.
Video Cameras purchased from 2MCCTV - Grand Prairie, TX
Cam 2 (Side Cam)
Cam 3 (Another Side Cam)
Cam 4 (Overhead Cam)
Notes from the Nest
March 31, 2012 - Independence laid her 3rd egg this afternoon at approximately 3:30 p.m. Franklin has been seen bringing fresh nesting materials to her several times, such as soft leaves and branches with greenery. Both are being very attentive to their eggs, and they have settled down for serious brooding. We will start looking for babies to emerge 35 days from when each egg was laid. Exciting times! Watch video from today (March 31, 2012).
March 27, 2012 - At approximately 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Independence laid her second egg. Many chatters on the UStream channel saw the second egg appear seconds after it was laid. Both parents are brooding the 2 eggs much more consistently now.
March 24, 2012 - Independence laid her first egg at around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We are so excited and look forward to happy days of eagle watching! If other eggs are laid, they will probably come in 3 - 4-day intervals. She laid 3 eggs last year.
March 17, 2012 - Lots of nesting activity. Indy and Franklin are either staying close to the nest, or actually in the nest. They continue to rearrange sticks, add nesting material, engage in mating — all in preparation for eggs which we hope will come soon.
In this image, Indy and Frank share stick-lifting responsibilities --- or maybe it's a disagreement about where such a choice stick should be placed!!
March 2, 2012 — Watch video of Franklin and Indy in nest. Indy, the female, has a white spot on her left elbow, and a rather droopy left wing. She's also the larger of the two.
March 14, 2012 — We have both eagles in the nest and our sound is working perfectly!!! Just an amazing sight, and how wonderful to hear the eagles & other sounds of nature.
February 28, 2012 — Indy and Franklin have been observed mating several times, and have been seen arranging sticks more to their liking in their refurbished nest. Our faithful chat group has been patient as we work out the kinks in our broadcasting. A new computer, capture card, cameras, & sound - plus running a new Comcast cable that has yet to be hooked up - all add to the excitement of what's to come, and what we are sure to be seeing down the road. Our moderators are just amazing! They keep us posted on all nest activities. We've added "Blue" to the mix this year - and he is especially knowledgable, as he works right with the computer equipment, and can share info with us when he comes online.
We have TWO NEW CHAT SHIRTS that have been designed - and they should arrive at our online store any day. I'm sure they will fly off the shelves.
UPDATE ON RELEASED EAGLETS FROM THIS NEST IN AUGUST 2011:
Image left: Halo is seen doing well - Jan. 2012 near the shore of Lake Erie in NY.
After its release on August 15, 2011, Halo was twice observed in good
condition on Lake Erie - near Cleveland, OH on September 2 and on
October 16 near Erie, PA. Halo was again observed near Angola, NY on
12/28/11, 1/9/12, and on 1/11/12. Latest observations indicate that Halo
is in good condition and doing well. An interesting fact is that
during 18 days from fledging, Halo traveled at least 404 straight-line
miles, averaging 22.4 miles per day.
The eaglet Atlantis was released on August 14, and was seen doing well
on Lake Huron near Oscoda, MI on September 7. A tentative sighting was
also observed in late January 2012 in the same general area.
No sighting has yet been reported for Endeavor.
What is the American Eagle Foundation (AEF)? Established in 1985, the non-profit AEF
is dedicated to protect the majestic Bald Eagle, the USA's National
Symbol, and its habitat by supporting and conducting eagle and
environmental recovery and education programs.
How often are the eaglets fed? The eaglets get fed by their parents numerous times per day (and
sometimes during night). The parents usually feed the babies beginning
at around 6:30 a.m. or 7 a.m. (EST). As the babies grow bigger, they
will require more food.
The food is placed inside the aviary at the bottom of the hill from the
nest twice a day (morning and evening) by AEF staff. The amount of food
provided daily is more than enough for the babies to be fed numerous
times. In fact, there are usually leftovers at the end of the day.
The food in the nest is sometimes lying off-camera or blends in with the
straw. The birds are cared for by professional AEF caregivers and by
experienced eagle parents. In past years, the parent birds have
successfully raised two sets of triplets.
Make a charitable donation to help our conservation work. The American Eagle Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit public charity, so donations are fully "tax-deductible".
The programs of the AEF are sustained by donations from individuals and
corporations. The AEF receives no governmental funding.
There is a DONATION BUTTON on the home page of the AEF's website. You
may also click the donate button at the top of this page and choose how
you would like to help. In addition, you may "adopt" Franklin and Indy
by clicking the "Adopt" button at the top. Soon, we will have a CHAT
T-SHIRT for sale, designed by one of our Chat Group featuring last
year's eaglets, and sure to please. When it becomes available, the
t-shirt button at the top of the page will go "Live."
Donors can support the AEF in a variety of ways, including Adopting Eagles and purchasing beautiful Eagle-Themed Gifts This is the largest aviary presentation of non-releasable Bald Eagles in the world.
The nest of "Independence" and "Franklin" can be found about 35 feet up
a steep hillside inside the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary aviary at
Dollywood. The nest is a human-made structure, but the parents add
sticks and other materials before and after laying and hatching their
eggs.
A vast habitat offers a natural setting for these non-releasable
eagles. Many have limited flight and enjoy flying up in the trees.
An artificial nesting/release tower overlooking a private area on
Douglas Lake (East Tennessee) is home for the eaglets after they are
removed from their parents' nest at 5 to 6 weeks of age. While there,
they do not come into direct contact with people, but are closely
monitored and cared for daily by AEF staff members until they have grown
to full-size at 13 or 14 weeks of age and are released into the wild.
While living in the nesting tower, the eaglets are viewed through
one-way mirrored glass windows and fed/watered via sliding drawers, so
they do not become "human-imprinted." Prior to their release, the
eaglets are fitted with a radio tracking transmitter on their middle
tail feather, a colored/numbered marker on their left wing, and a U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service metal band on their right leg/ankle.
Disclaimer
None of the advertising or commercials appearing on this UStream channel are controlled by the American Eagle Foundation, nor are any of the products and services that are promoted here endorsed by the Foundation. Chat Room Rules
1. Be respectful, polite, and focused on eagles.
2. No profanity, personal invective, or other inappropriate comments.
3. No comments touching on politics, religion, or sports. Respect the diversity of the room.
4. We prefer that chatter focus on eagles and other raptors and not on TV shows that may not be suitable for family viewing.
5. Disagreements might be unavoidable but should remain polite, and they should never become arguments.
6. Do not post strings of several emoticons, smileys, or random
characters, either on a single line or in successive posts. Do not post
in all caps, it's like YELLING.
7. Allow mods to deal with chat abusers, do not engage them yourself, keep your posts relevant to the eagles.
8. Respect the mods, who are here to make sure all viewers have a good experience.
9. Chatting is a privilege, not a right. If your presence is disruptive,
moderators (mods) can timeout, kick, or permanently ban chat abusers,
and can delete inappropriate posts.
If you would like more detailed answers to questions you may have, please check our Eagle Blog or email Bob Hatcher, our Eagle Expert, at EagleMail@eagles.org.
Thanks for visiting! Please tell your friends about us, and come back often.
March 27, 2012 - At approximately 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Independence laid her second egg. Many chatters on the UStream channel saw the second egg appear seconds after it was laid. Both parents are brooding the 2 eggs much more consistently now.
March 24, 2012 - Independence laid her first egg at around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We are so excited and look forward to happy days of eagle watching! If other eggs are laid, they will probably come in 3 - 4-day intervals. She laid 3 eggs last year.
March 17, 2012 - Lots of nesting activity. Indy and Franklin are either staying close to the nest, or actually in the nest. They continue to rearrange sticks, add nesting material, engage in mating — all in preparation for eggs which we hope will come soon. 
The nest of "Independence" and "Franklin" can be found about 35 feet up
a steep hillside inside the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary aviary at
Dollywood. The nest is a human-made structure, but the parents add
sticks and other materials before and after laying and hatching their
eggs. 
A vast habitat offers a natural setting for these non-releasable
eagles. Many have limited flight and enjoy flying up in the trees. 
An artificial nesting/release tower overlooking a private area on
Douglas Lake (East Tennessee) is home for the eaglets after they are
removed from their parents' nest at 5 to 6 weeks of age. While there,
they do not come into direct contact with people, but are closely
monitored and cared for daily by AEF staff members until they have grown
to full-size at 13 or 14 weeks of age and are released into the wild.
While living in the nesting tower, the eaglets are viewed through
one-way mirrored glass windows and fed/watered via sliding drawers, so
they do not become "human-imprinted." Prior to their release, the
eaglets are fitted with a radio tracking transmitter on their middle
tail feather, a colored/numbered marker on their left wing, and a U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service metal band on their right leg/ankle.