Bald Eagle trees and the Boreal Forest

Bald Eagle nests are found in the larger, and older, trees in the boreal forests of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. On Besnard Lake, we have found that about 10% of nests are lost each year, many of these because the tree with the nest is blown down in a high wind. Such blow downs are a normal part of the cycle of activity and or renewal in the boreal forest.

The top photo shows trees recently blown down near one of the eagle nests. The bottom photo shows an eagle nest in a tree which was blown down early this summer. In this case we searched the area nearby, but did not find any young on the ground as we sometimes do ( see also http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/07/finding-young-bald-eagle-on-ground.html ). You can get some idea of the size of a Bald Eagle nest from the bottom photo.