Orphaned Montana Bald Eagle Chicks Get Second Chance

The circle of life for a family of bald eagles will hopefully go on, thanks to the efforts of concerned citizens and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

FWP worked in close partnership with the Montana Raptor Conservation Center and an experienced climber to relocate two orphaned bald eagle chicks recently in southwest Montana.The eaglets were rescued from a nest on state land just east of Interstate 90 near Bozeman shortly after two adult bald eagles were found dead below the nest. A cause of death hasn’t been determined for the adult eagles, and they’ve been turned over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for further testing. The eaglets were given food, fluids and evaluation. Both chicks were in good condition.

Adult bald eagles will usually adopt orphaned eaglets placed in an active nest with healthy habitat nearby. This presents the best chance at survival in the wild for orphaned eaglets, which cannot be raised in captivity and later released. FWP located a nest on private land that met these criteria. They worked with the landowner and Montana Rail Link to gain access to the nest. The climber assisted the Montana Raptor Conservation Center and FWP in successfully placing the orphaned eaglets in the new nest.

FWP wanted us to thank on their behalf the Montana Raptor Conservation Center, the volunteer climber, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Rail Link and a willing landowner for their collaborative efforts to relocate the eaglets.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the lead agency investigating the death of the two adult eagles from Bozeman. But anyone with information on the case can provide tips anonymously by calling 1-800-TIP-MONT.