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We get many questions about the eagles at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Below are some of the more frequently asked. Check back as we add more.
Have you named the eagles?
When the eagles first built their nest here, we discussed the idea of naming them, but decided against doing so. Since they are wild birds, we do not want to encourage thinking of them as pets or to anthropomorphize them. Also, although all of our eaglets have survived to fledging, that’s not a guarantee every year. Giving them names could create more heartache for people. This year's situation with the eggs is a case in point. That said, a lot of other viewers have given them names and have shared them with us
If I come to the Garden, will I be able to see the eagles?
While the eagle cam offers one of the best views of the nest, a visit to the Garden provides many more opportunities to see these birds. The nest is visible from several spots, including from NATO tower. Viewing scopes for the nest are available in both NATO tower and near the Tropical Garden. Visitors may see the eagles sitting in nearby trees and even flying overhead. This is one of the best ways to really appreciate the size of the eagles. We also have monitors in the visitor center that still allow viewing into the nest with the cam.
Sometimes I see people and vehicles in the background. Are they supposed to be there? Will they bother the eagles?
A large portion of the area around the nest is closed to the public during the nesting season. This is required by law. Because of the location of the camera in relation to the nest, the path you see in the background is approximately 500 feet from the nest. It is outside the exclusion zone and therefore visitors and staff are allowed to use the path. This use does not bother the eagles.
When not on the nest at night, where do the eagles stay?
On most nights when the two adult eagles are not in the new nest tree, they are on a branch in the old nest tree about 200 feet away. We know this because they have been seen there by night security, and because of the "white-wash" they have left on the ground under the branch.
Will the test results from the two eagle eggs removed from the nest be made public?
Yes, the results will either be posted on the NBG or the DGIF web sites. It takes several weeks to complete all the tests and obtain the results.
Is the bald eagle an endangered specie?
The bald eagle was removed from the Endangered Species List on June 27, 2007. It is now protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) developed the National Bald Eagle Management Guidelines in May 2007 to assist landowners, land managers, and others as to when and under what circumstances the provisions of the Eagle Act may apply. In Virginia responsibility for management of bald eagles is shared between the USF&WS and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Do eagles only lay eggs in the spring?
In Virginia bald eagles lay their eggs from early January to late March. There are records of eagles laying eggs in late December and early April, but that is unusual.
Are there other bald eagle nests in the area?
During the 2007 season there were 9 active and 2 inactive nests in what we refer to as Lower Tidewater. We generally do not disclose the exact location of these nests. The NBG nest is an exception because of its public location. It is the only nest in Norfolk. There were 6 in Virginia Beach, 3 in Chesapeake and 1 in Suffolk.
Do the eagles leave the area and if so where do they go?
Most of the eagles do migrate out of the area. There are 3 main locations known as "concentration areas" that they go to because there is an abundance of food, especially fish. These places are near Hog Island on the James River, near Tappahannock on the Rappahannock River, and the upper Potomac River near Caledon Natural Area State Park.
How do we know how many bald eagles are nesting in Virginia?
In 1977 the Chesapeake Bay Bald Eagle Recovery Team was formed by the USF&WS to develop a recovery plan and monitor the population of the bald eagle. In Virginia, Dr. Mitchell Byrd at the College of William and Mary initiated a systematic survey. That survey continues today by the Center for Conservation Biology at W&M and measures breeding activity and productivity by a two-flight method and ground observations where flights are restricted. The first flight occurs in late February and March, and the second flight takes place in late April through May. In 2007 there were 560 occupied territories and 524 active nests that produced 737 bald eagle chicks.
Why can't I get the cam to work?
There may be several reasons the cam will not work:
- A broadband connection is required
- The Eagle Cam uses Windows Media Player. Any recent version of the player should display the image but try upgrading to the latest version to see if that helps.
- In the Windows Media Player options, under network settings, disable all network protocols except HTTP by unchecking the boxes. That seems to help many people with connection problems.
- If you can see the cam at home but not at work (or school) your network administrator may have blocked this type of broadcast. Talk to them and explain the importance of viewing this cam. Sometimes cookies or brownies will help.
- Sometimes the broadcast from the Garden is interrupted. Transmitting the images from the nest to the internet requires a variety of equipment in an outdoor setting and the signal can be interrupted causing the cam to go down. Garden staff monitors the transmission and will work to fix it as soon as possible. Click here to see the cam being set up. We will post notices if we anticipate a long outage.
Who is operating the cam?
Five people operate the cam – 2 staff from the Garden and 2 staff from DGIF and a research associate with William & Mary. Between all of them, we are able to keep a pretty good eye on the activities.
Are you recording this?
We do not have enough memory on our servers to continuously record all the action. We can record two to three days of video footage before older segments are dumped. We try to save certain segments that are particularly interesting if we are aware the event. Cam operators will snap stills when they can.
Back to the Eagle cam page
For more information on our eagles, check out:
Virginia DGIF's Eagle Blog
Eagle Cam provided by:
 
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