Business Directory Go back to directory. No Photo Available Miles City Eagle Cam Miles City Eagle Cam Home West Main, near the R.O.C.K.S building Miles City MT 59301 home Website: Eagle Cam Biography The nest is approximately eight feet wide and sits ninety eight feet high housed in a cottonwood tree. It has been used consecutively for five years by nesting pairs. The eagles are currently on the nest and from what can be viewed; there are two eggs in the nest. “We have already learned so much from this opportunity,” said Brad Schmitz, Fish Wildlife and Parks, Region 7 Supervisor, “Not only about this pair of eagles in particular, but also this technology that may be used in future projects.” FWP expects the resident Bald Eagles have an enormous amount of information to share with the community. This project has not just been a Fish, Wildlife and Parks project. “It has truly been a community project”, stated Cathy Stewart, Regional Information Officer. Immediately after beginning to pursue the idea, support and offers to help began coming out of the woodwork. Organizations directly involved have been Yellowstone Valley Audubon, ROCKS Program, Mid-Rivers Communication, Department of Transportation, Miles City Fire and Rescue, City of Miles City, Kiwi Pete’s Tree Service, Technologies Plus and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Individuals and entities providing skills or monetary donations include Dean Hanvold of Technologies Plus, Kiwanis, Builder’s Club-Washington Middle School, Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Williams, Jay and Denise Harvey, Ron Thomas and Ruben Oberlander. For further information on the Miles City Eagle Cam please contact Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at 406-234-0900. What happens when you are a giant bird who uses nest building as a form of courtship AND uses the same nest site year after year? Mega-nest, that’s what. Bald eagles already build some of the largest nests of any bird in North America simply because bald eagles are big and they need lots of room. But they also reuse the same nest site year after year, and no self-respecting bald eagle will just plop down and blast out some eggs on a “used” nest surface. So, every year the bald eagle pair will work together to collect fresh sticks and grass and moss and other items and do some key renovations to make the nest platform as good as new. Because bald eagles tend to choose the largest and strongest trees for their nests, these things can get massive, maybe even mega, and may last for 30 years or more. I don’t use the word “mega” lightly. There was a bald eagle nest in Florida measuring 9.5-feet wide and 20-feet tall. It was estimated to weigh more than 2 tons. Just google “huge bald eagle nest” and prepare your eyes for widening and your jaw for dropping. I’ve seen some impressive ones in Montana as well during my eagle nest monitoring days. The biggest one I remember was jammed into an old-timey cottonwood tree along the Madison River and I estimated it as being the size of a Ford Windstar. Just google “Ford Windstar” and prepare your eyes for widening and your jaw for dropping… it’s a sick ride. Skrrt! Often, the end of an epic bald eagle nest’s reign comes from a windstorm that finally breaks off the branches that were holding up the nest. But ne’er should a Montanan fret a blown-down bald eagle nest. They can build a new one in as little as 4 days, and in as little as 4 years it could be back to official mega status. Mega-nifty!
