Where eagles soar, biologists have to hike to
“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar,” wrote American poet and journalist Carl Sandburg, in his 1918 poem Wilderness. And there are three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists that understand completely.
Over 100 years after that poem was written, the small group hiked high into the wilderness above Lake Roosevelt in northeast Washington on a sunny spring day. Even with spectacular views that stretched for miles, from their perch on a rock formation that felt like the top of the world, they only had eyes for one thing- a golden eagle soaring on an air current below. As they watched, it effortlessly landed in a huge nest perched in a tree below.
While people in the area have known about this nest for close to fifty years, WDFW is paying particular attention to it recently.
“In 2026 and 2027 we have dedicated time to monitoring golden eagle nests to assess the status and trends of the species in Washington and the trends of their breeding populations,” said Healani Johnson, assistant district wildlife biologist for the area.
Monitoring it is the easy part. Getting to it requires scaling steep rock faces, crossing fields blooming with the first wildflowers of the spring, and stopping to examine claw marks in a particularly large tree from a past encounter with wildlife.
This “heritage nest”, in a secluded area of the Sherman Creek Wildlife Area in Ferry County, was first noticed in the 1980s. It’s just one of several that Johnson is watching.
“I have nine others in the district that I check on; ten total with this one,” she said.
In Washington, and some other areas United States, golden eagle populations are declining due to loss of both habitat and their main prey species, jackrabbits and burrowing mammals including ground squirrels and prairie dogs. Surveying nests in spring lets biologists know if golden eagles are reproducing and sustaining the regional population. Because of the vulnerability of the species, golden eagles are protected by multiple federal laws; the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act.
Golden eagle biology
Golden eagles are very large, with a wingspan up to seven feet and have distinctive feathered legs characteristic of the “booted“ eagles. Adults are dark brown with gold on the head and neck, and gray bars on the tail, with a yellow ring around the eye. It’s not uncommon to mistake immature bald eagles for adult golden eagles due to their similar appearance.
Golden eagles are found in dry open forests of Eastern Washington, shrubsteppe habitats, canyonlands, and high-elevation alpine zones statewide, and sparingly near clearcuts and open expanses in Western Washington. In Western Washington they often prey on mountain beavers in timber harvests.
Golden eagle nests
To accommodate such large birds, their nests must be large as well. Nests average 4-to-6 feet in width and 2-to-4 feet in depth and are usually situated on cliff ledges, rocky outcrops, large trees, or power poles and transmission towers.
Golden eagle nest sites are typically used year after year, like the Sherman Creek site. While the biologists watched it, an adult eagle flew out of it, revealing two eggs. That is fairly typical for golden eagles, the normal golden eagle “clutch” (the set of eggs laid during a single breeding attempt) ranges from one to three eggs, with two being the most common.
Golden eagle eggs are also understandably large- up to about 3.5 inches in length and are usually laid between late March and late April. The incubation period is up to 45 days long.
“I’ll come back in about 30 days to see if they have hatched,” said Johnson. “If the hatchlings make it 30 to 40 days, they have a better likelihood of survival.”
A percentage of eggs don’t make it to the hatching stage. The hatching rate for golden eagle eggs ranges from 50% to 85%. There are a variety of reasons eggs may not hatch, such as weather (storms can blow eggs out of nests or extremely cold weather can cause embryos to die) depending on factors such as geographic location and environmental conditions.
The eaglets that survive will leave the nest 10-to-14 weeks after hatching but will continue to rely on their parents for several more weeks for food and guidance.
But not before Johnson gets her eyes on them.
“I’m always excited to make the trip back out to see how they are doing after they hatch and update our database so we can continue to monitor their populations into the future,” she said.
How you can help
If you see a golden eagle, please share your observation using the WDFW wildlife reporting form. Providing detailed information such as a photo and exact coordinates will improve the confidence and value of this observation to WDFW species conservation and management.
