A Bald Eagle nest is much easier to spot in late fall and winter, without leaves on the trees (photo by Ralph Russo).
It starts with a treasure hunt. Early winter is full of treasures, if you’re an eagle-eyed volunteer in search of Bald Eagle nests in Wisconsin. The leaves are off many of the trees, creating the opportunity to more easily find the 1,000+ pound, 4 feet wide, 4 feet tall structures that become the cradle for big eggs that lead to big babies. When a nest is found, you feel a thrill, like finding the X on the map. Sometimes the nest is right where you’d expect it. Other times, it’s a few hundred yards away, or nowhere in sight. In those cases, the hunt continues, or is forgone in hopes that another nest can be found and eventually monitored.
That is the winter experience for our Bald Eagle Nest Watch (BENW) volunteers, and we are now in the height of summer. Once again, the nests are mostly empty, but so much has happened in the months in between! Adults have bonded, remodeled or rebuilt nests, copulated, laid eggs, and kept them warm through storms, cold snaps, and lean times. Those eggs have hatched, with gray bobble-headed eaglets emerging, eventually growing taller, stronger, more coordinated, and darker. One day, they summon their courage and take their first flight.
A Bald Eagle fledgling takes flight from a nest tree in Washington County (photo by Mitch Spillane, BENW volunteer).
And then, just like that, the eagle nesting and BENW season is essentially done. It is sudden and bittersweet, and part of the natural progression of each year.
All of the data collected by BENW volunteers is shared with the Wisconsin DNR to help them track the eagle population in Wisconsin and make note of any unusual natural occurrences. We can help track impact of disease, weather, and human impact on nests. We can help advocate for specific nests when human activities threaten the eagle’s ability to carry out their nesting duties — in some cases we’ve worked with folks to move snowmobile trails, delay firework shows, educate communities about staying back from nest trees, and pause construction. It’s good and important work!
General Observations about the 2024 BENW Season
FLEDGLINGS: We are happy to share that our awesome volunteers documented 273 fledglings from 157 nests in 40 counties! That is an average of 1.7 fledglings/nest, which is the typical success rate in our program.
Eaglets at a Sauk County nest are preparing to take flight! (Video by Erin Kapp, BENW volunteer.)
STORMS: This year had a slight increase in nest failures above our annual average of approx. 15% — in 2024 we documented 19.6% of nests failed. Nesting is tricky business: sometimes young pairs haven’t quite figured out the process, or the nest is predated, or some kind of weather event causes the nests to fail.
However, this year there were a lot of really big, intense storms. There was a tornado in southern Wisconsin in February. A storm in early April produced a lot of heavy snow, which took out a few branches that nests relied on or took out the nests themselves under the weight of the snow. A storm in mid-May produced high winds, which in combination with a lot of rain resulted in a number of nest trees and/or limbs falling. In one case, a nest tree in Dane County fell over, taking the nest and three beautiful, large eaglets with it. All three eaglets died, likely on impact.
The nest tree and remnants of the nest on the ground in Dane County (photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA).
STORIES: There were many happy and fun moments that volunteers shared from this year.
Erin Kapp, a volunteer who monitored a nest in Sauk County, enjoyed her weekly visits to her nest with the friendly company of her four legged companions who watched her while she watched her eaglets. Press play on the short video below!
Sometimes eagle watching is quite the draw! (Video by Erin Kapp, BENW volunteer.)
Scott Emerson, who moved to Central Wisconsin in May and began monitoring a nest in Marquette County, shares:
“I've had a chance to find my nest. I spent an hour there this morning. For the first half hour there was the one adult and one eaglet. Then a second eaglet stretched and I saw its wingtips, and it worked its way to the rim of the nest in full view. 15 minutes later a third eaglet climbed into view!”
Mindy Remley, who observes a nest in Dane County, wrote in July:
“Visited yesterday and adult and nestling were both in nest the entire time. Went back today and couldn't see anything in the nest (but the sides are obscured by leaves). Sat and scanned with binoculars and saw something dark behind leaves on an adjacent branch. After a while it moved and was the fledgling. It sat for a long time, then did some flapping, then TOOK OFF AND DID A HUGE BEAUTIFUL CIRCLE back to the nest. It. Was. Awesome!”
Carol and Allen Kohn monitor a nest in Walworth County and had the opportunity to watch the full nesting process this season!
An adult Bald Eagle feeds a chick in the nest (photo by Ralph Russo).
“In October 2023, we spotted a huge bird with large branches in its talons, beginning to build a nest in a snag at our lake. Over the next three months they worked hard to build the nest, and on Feb. 15 began incubating eggs. On Mar. 15, we witnessed an adult eagle with food in its talons land on the nest edge and begin tearing food. We couldn’t see the youth, but on Apr. 8 we caught view of it on the back edge of the nest and it opened its wings.
On May 5 at 11 weeks, the youth was on the edge of the nest flapping and feeding itself. Three days later we saw it on the ground, not knowing if it fell or tried to fly. The next day it was back in the nest tree. The next week the youth kept feeding itself and perching in different trees. Then didn’t see it until a week later. Successfully fledged!!
It has been such a privilege to watch this eagle family from the day they decided to build their nest home for a family all the way to the successful hatching, feeding, growth and wing development to the point of fledging and independence. Beth confirmed it was the earliest fledge this year in S.E. WI on May 10.”
Beth Martin, who coordinates the southeastern program and monitors nests in Walworth and nearby counties, said of one Ozaukee County nest:
“This nest was impossible to see — it was in such a dense white pine and due to surrounding bluffs, trees and houses, there was no view of the nest whatsoever. Adults flew in and out of the nest, but there was no sign of what they were tending to….until suddenly, there were many signs! Three signs, to be exact: three eaglets eventually popped out of the tree! They were in there the whole time!”
A young Bald Eagle takes flight (photo by Beth Martin, BENW volunteer & coordinator for SE WI program).
Program Results
Each program area is run by a different partner and area lead, with support from us at SoWBA. The year-over-year growth in this program that started in 2018 is in large part due to the leadership of these partners, and the dedication of all of the volunteers in each of the programs.
Southern Wisconsin program, led by Drew Cashman (volunteer) and Brenna Marsicek, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
260 volunteers
107 nests monitored in 18 counties (Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Green, Grant, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Richland, Rock, Sheboygan, Sauk, Waukesha, and Washington)
23 nest failures (21.5%)
123 fledgling eaglets took to the skies
13 nests with unknown results (usually, the nest became completely obscured by leaves so difficult to verify fledging)
Central Wisconsin program, led by Stephanie Feuerstein, Nature’s Guide Independent Naturalist Service
23 volunteers
17 nests monitored in 6 counties (Marathon, Marquette, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, and Waupaca)
2 nest failures (11.7%)
22 fledglings
1 nest with unknown results
Door County program, led by Tony Kizonas and Sam Hoffman, The Ridges Sanctuary
22 volunteers
19 nests monitored in 2 counties (Door and Kewaunee)
2 nest failures (10.5%)
22 fledglings
0 nests with unknown results
Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls program, led by Jeanette Kelly and Luke Trittelwitz, Beaver Creek Reserve
44 volunteers
13 nests monitored in 5 counties (Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Rusk)
4 nest failures (30.7%)
13 fledglings
1 nest with unknown results
Fox Valley program, led by Debbie Nowak, former naturalist/director at 1000 Islands Environmental Center
100 volunteers
26 nests monitored in 4 counties (Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Winnebago)
5 nest failures (19.2%)
35 fledglings
1 nest with unknown results
Green Bay program, led by Logan Lasee, Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve and Brown County Parks
25 volunteers
10 nests monitored in 2 counties (Brown and Oconto)
2 nest failures (20%)
14 fledglings
0 nests with unknown results
Manitowoc program, led by Kennedy Zittel, Woodland Dunes Nature Center
18 volunteers
8 nests monitored in 2 counties (Calumet, Manitowoc)
3 nest failures (37.5%)
6 fledglings
0 nests with unknown results
Southeastern Wisconsin program, led by Beth Martin, independent volunteer
64 volunteers
27 nests monitored in 9 counties (Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Waukesha, and Washington)
2 nest failures (7.4%) + 2 nests that came down and eaglets were rescued
40 fledglings
0 nests with unknown results
Overall statistics, combining all program areas:
556 volunteers
222 nests monitored in 40 counties
157 nests were successful
43 nest failures (19.6%)
275 fledglings
5,700+ hours logged monitoring nests!!
A round of thank yous
Every year we are blown away by the dedication, curiosity, and compassion these volunteers show. They sit through cold, heat, mosquitoes, snow, low activity, noisy neighborhoods, and in some cases, nest failures. But we hear over and over that it’s worth it, to be able to see the eaglets flying in the summer, and note the details of nesting that one wouldn’t notice without close observation. A huge and sincere thank you goes out to our volunteers for the time they spend on this project.
I also want to thank our area leads, who spend significant time recruiting, organizing, supporting, and communicating with volunteers. And some of these leads are volunteers themselves, off the clock and spending precious free time working on this project! Thank you!!
Property owners and managers are a big reason we can do this work, by allowing volunteers to come onto their property to monitor nests. We appreciate working with these folks, who are often proud of the nests they steward.
Drew Cashman and me at the Southern program’s end of season party and Drew’s send off (SoWBA photo).
And a huge, heartfelt thank you goes to Drew Cashman, the super-volunteer who pitched the idea to create this program in 2018, helped build it, shepherd it, and support it, and has been incredibly generous with his time, energy, and expertise. Drew just moved with his family to Washington, but we’re grateful that he’s willing to continue volunteering remotely to host online trainings, help answer questions, and more. Thank you Drew, for all you’ve given to Wisconsin eagles, this program, and this organization over the years!
Written by Brenna Marsicek, Bald Eagle Nest Watch coordinator and director of outreach
Cover photo: Bald Eagle fledgling by David Stank.
