PHOENIX — The
camera is set, zoomed in and ready to broadcast the day-to-day life of
a pair of bald eagles hoping to raise a family inside their nest at
Lake Pleasant Regional Park.
On Tuesday, Dec.
18, the Arizona Game and Fish Department — in partnership with Salt
River Project, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, Arizona
State Land Department and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — began
live-streaming from the camera perched near the bald eagle nest on Lake
Pleasant.
“We are thrilled
to bring this camera to fruition,” said Randy Babb, AZGFD watchable
wildlife program manager. “Our goal is to provide opportunities for
people to truly appreciate and connect with Arizona’s wildlife, and
live-feed wildlife cameras such as this help us to do exactly that.
People will be fascinated as they learn from and watch these nesting
eagles incubate eggs and rear their young in real-time.”
Records show bald
eagles have inhabited Lake Pleasant since at least 1979, with the first
documented nesting attempt occurring in 1984. While no young were
produced until 1993, 28 birds have since survived to take their first
flight, known as fledging.
Two eggs were laid
in the nest in early January 2018 and each hatched the following month.
The two young successfully fledged in late April.
“Park visitors are
always excited to catch a glimpse of these magnificent raptors flying
overhead while they’re recreating at Lake Pleasant Regional Park,” said
R.J. Cardin, director for the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation
Department. “Now, through the addition of the eagle cam, everyone can
enjoy this experience from the comfort of their own home.”
The camera feed
was made possible through permitting and coordination with Arizona
State Land Department, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Maricopa County
Parks and Recreation, and Salt River Project.
“These beautiful
birds often nest in and around the state’s rivers and reservoirs, and
we are proud to be a part of a program that allows more members of the
public to view these majestic raptors,” said Kara Montalvo, SRP
Director of Environmental Compliance and Permitting.
The bald eagle cam
is the fourth wildlife camera offered by the department, which also
provides seasonal views of wintering sandhill cranes in southeastern
Arizona, a bat roost at Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area and an underwater pupfish
cam. All the live streams can be viewed at www.azgfd.gov/livecams.
Viewers are asked
to check the cameras frequently if there is no activity in the nest.
Often the birds will leave at multiple times for feeding. If eggs are
laid, viewing will be more consistent and predictable.
The Arizona Game
and Fish Department Lake Pleasant bald eagle live-streaming camera is
funded through Heritage and Pittman Robertson funds, the Southwestern
Bald Eagle Management Committee and public donations.
“Viewers wishing
to support the Watchable Wildlife program and its wildlife cameras are
asked to consider making a donation,” Babb added. “These cameras are
very expensive to install and maintain and we appreciate any and all
donations.”
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