Minnesota DNR Launch New ‘Eagle Cam’ After Tragic Ending To Last One

There's an exciting new beginning for the incredibly popular Minnesota "EagleCam"!

This live wildlife camera had become very popular over the years, giving people a cool look at what happens in a bald eagle's nest that was in a large tree in the Twin Cities area. The live camera got its start in 2012 as part of the Minnesota DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program, giving a unique look into the lives of a nesting eagle family.

In April of 2023, the nest this camera watched tragically fell from its perch. The DNR said they weren't 100% sure why the nest fell, but they believe it was likely due to heavy snow adding weight to the dead branch that supported the nest.

The nest falling from the tree resulted in the death of a young eagle, which was found dead on the ground after the branch gave out. That nest was over 20 years old, about 6 feet in circumference, and over 2,000 pounds.

Following that tragic happening, the Minnesota DNR explored moving the camera to a different location, but opted in to leave it in the same area due to some technical challenges. They offered the camera at that time as more of a look at the larger habitat at the time, rather than just a look at a nest.

Fast-forward to this fall, and the Minnesota DNR announced the return of the EagleCam, this time showing off a new nest!

Announced on November 19, the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program shared that they found a new nest to feature on the DNR's EagleCam and it will launch soon!

They said they will continue to operate the original EagleCam now as an "Eagle Habitat" camera, showing off the area the previous eagle pair once called home and can still sometimes be seen. A second camera will show off a new eagle pair's nest, bringing back the popular live stream option to watch an eagle family.

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The DNR says they will start providing live footage for both of these cameras this week, including the one of this new nest. This will give both wildlife experts and the public the opportunity to "get to know this new eagle pair and watch their story unfold".

The DNR explained they spent a lot of time, visiting "countless nests" after their original EagleCam fell in 2023. They said there are a lot of criteria they look for in the right nest, and the one they picked "checked all the boxes".

They say they had hoped to follow the eagle pair who lost their nest to their new home, but they weren't able to install a camera at that location. This prompted them to look for a new pair, which we'll all get to meet when they turn the camera on to the public on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

You can watch both the new EagleCam and the original camera, now known as the Eagle Habitat camera, on the DNR's EagleCam website.