How we're building a safer home for nesting eagles

Apr 22, 2024

How we're building a safer home for nesting eagles

BC Hydro crew next to a transmission tower with an eagle's nest at the top

An eagle nest sits atop a transmission tower near Delta last summer. It was safety removed and an alternate nest was installed atop a dedicated pole installed on a nearby private property.

Spotted high up a transmission tower

A dangerous perch atop one of our transmission towers, just over two metres above a 230-kilovolt power line, is no place for an eagle nest. So after spotting the danger, our team members worked with a local wildlife group to find a safe new home for the eagles.

The nest was initially spotted atop the Lower Mainland Transmission line tower near Delta in late 2022 and immediately recognized as a risk to the eagles, as well as a potential fire or power outage hazard. After consulting the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, we worked with the local community group Hancock Wildlife Foundation on a plan to find an alternate nest location after the mating pair of eagles had left the nest.

Eagle's nest on a BC Hydro transmission tower

A closer look at the nest.

The nest was approximately 2 metres wide, half a metre high and weighed an estimated 100 to 150 kilograms – relatively small for a bald eagle nest which have been known to weigh up to 1000 kg or more. The idea was to safely remove the existing nest and install a new nest platform at a suitable location in time for the eagles return in the spring of 2024.

The team considered multiple locations and nest platform designs, settling on a new nest platform atop a new pole on a private property near enough to the original location to entice the eagles back to the nest.

The nest is ready. Now it’s up to the eagles to return.