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The nest that can be viewed on-line is part of the Catalina Island Bald Eagle Restoration Project conducted by the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) and funded by generous donations from viewers like you. First established in 1991, this nest, called the West End nest, is rare in that there have been three eagles (two females and a male) cooperatively breeding here since 1992. The male is 25 years old and the two females are 20 years old. One female has orange wing markers with "69" printed in black. This helps us identify individuals. The male is the smallest of the three birds and has a silver band on his right leg. The other female has a silver band on her left leg. The birds share all the nesting duties, including nest construction, incubating the eggs, and taking care of the chicks. This is one of only a handful of reported nests with three adult bald eagles present and the only one that you can actually watch on the internet. The nest, located on a rock pinnacle at a remote location on Santa Catalina Island, California, has been monitored since 1991 by IWS biologists using closed-circuit camera systems. Because of continuing problems with DDT pollution in southern California, which causes the eagles to lay thin-shelled eggs, it is necessary for us to remove the eggs soon after they are laid, replace them with artificial eggs, and incubate the real eggs in incubators at our incubation facility on Catalina. When the eagle chicks are 1-2 weeks old, we foster them into the nests. Since 1991, 18 chicks have fledged from this nest, three of which have remained on the island.

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