Bird Island Cam
View the Bird Island Cam
To view live video of the Bird Island Cam, visit the cam website and select either the play button or the picture. For best browser performance, please use Google Chrome to view the cam.
Bald Eagles at Standley Lake
Of the estimated 14,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states, several have called Standley Lake home since 1993. The bald eagles caught the public's eye the moment they arrived at the park. Due to intense interest in the eagles, park staff decided to install a live animal camera so that the public could observe the eagles more closely. After several years of planning and coordinating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife (due to the eagles' protected status), the project became a reality.
In the fall of 2016, City open space staff installed the system with the partnership of companies View Into the Blue and United Power, which donated time and manpower. The camera allowed staff and the public to witness and celebrate the eagles in their daily lives. On May 13, 2021, the nest collapsed, devastating everyone.
Fortunately, the eagles have relocated to a new location and have built a new nest. The new location is located within the protected wildlife area of the park, but not in a location that is close enough to allow the camera signal to transmit to the Nature Center. In an effort to use the equipment and continue to give patrons an opportunity to connect to the wildlife here at the park, staff has relocated the camera to a location that will provide a live view of Westminster's largest rookery, Bird Island.
Bird Island has over sixty active double-crested cormorant and great blue heron nests and is a seasonal attraction for American white pelicans, gulls, and a variety of waterfowl. The Standley Lake eagles and resident great horned owls often use the trees on Bird Island to hunt during the winter and spring months.
The relocation of the camera was made possible by many dedicated City open space staff, Sturgeon Electric, Source Communications, and HDonTap.
Follow the Standley Lake Regional Park Facebook page for updates.
Philosophy of the Bird Island Cam
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." - Aristotle
Nature is nature. It is wild and anything can happen. We do not interfere or intervene and we allow nature to take its course.
- This livestream is intended to educate the viewers by showing nature in an unguarded fashion. You will see nature at its best, and possibly its worst. You will see life being started and sustained in very natural ways. It is nature at her finest.
- The Standley Lake Eagle cam was installed in winter 2017 by a team of City open space staff with the partnership companies View Into The Blue and United Power, which donated time and manpower to make this project a reality.
- In 2019, a new and improved camera (sound and night vision added) was installed and HDonTap was chosen to provide streaming services.
- In March 2022, the Bird Island cam was installed (relocated) by a team of dedicated City of Westminster Open Space staff, Sturgeon Electric, and Source Communications.
- The positioning of the camera is determined by park staff only, and adjustments are made infrequently as to not disturb the wildlife.
Bald Eagle History
Since January of 1993, bald eagles have nested on the northwest side of Standley Lake. When the eagles were first observed building a nest, Standley Lake officials closed off access to the area so the eagles would be undisturbed in their attempt to nest. Bald eagles usually mate for life and reuse nest sites. Because they are sensitive to human disturbance, it is imperative that the area remains closed to protect the nesting habitat.
In the unfortunate circumstance that one eagle perishes, the other will find a new mate shortly after. Over the last 26 years, it is probable that numerous pairs have called the nest at Standley Lake home, and the eagles today likely are not the same pair from 1993.
In 1996, the eagles successfully produced their first pair of offspring. That success has continued for the last 23 consecutive years, with two eaglets hatching each of those years, except in 2015 and 2017, when they successfully raised three eaglets!
They usually lay their eggs in the last weeks of February. Incubation lasts for a period of approximately 35 days, at which time one to two nestlings will hatch. These nestlings will first leave the nest in late June to early July, approximately 72 days after hatching. Both parents take care of the young eagles even after they leave the nest. The young will leave the area sometime before October or November, either on their own or when the parents force them out. The parents remain at Standley Lake year-round and spend the fall and winter preparing their nest for the next clutch of eggs.
Pursuant to state and federal law, it is illegal to "take, feed, disturb, possess, sell, purchase or barter, or attempt to engage in any such conduct, any bald eagle or parts thereof, or their nests or eggs. All violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The following chart shows the chronology of the nesting bald eagles at Standley Lake.