Habitat destruction is thought to cause greater reductions in bird and other wildlife populations than any other factor, and is still the most serious long-term threat.

Nest Sites

AVOID Breeding Season January 1 – August 15
In the Pacific Northwest, bald eagles usually begin nesting in early January, with the young leaving the nest as late as mid-August. The nesting season extends from January 1 through August 15.
The best solution is to conduct new or intermittent activities outside the nesting season. If you can’t avoid the nesting season, minimize your impacts (see below).

MINIMIZE Visual and Noise Disturbance
Maintain a disturbance buffer around an active nest to reduce visual and noise disturbance associated with human activities near nest sites.  Eagles are unlikely to be disturbed by routine use of homes, roads or home landscaping equipment when that use was occurring before an eagle pair successfully nested in an area.

Visibility –
Eagles are more prone to disturbance by activities that occur in full view.  Reduce the likelihood of disturbance by locating activities as far from a nest as possible with visual barriers (such as hills, trees, or buildings) between you and the nest.  Distance buffers in open areas will need to be larger than buffers in dense vegetation or other natural screening.

Noise –
Eagles are more prone to disturbance by noise that occurs infrequently, unpredictably, or starts after nesting season begins (January 1).  If your activity produces noise that the eagles have demonstrated a tolerance for outside of nesting season, the eagles are unlikely to be disturbed by that noise continuing during the nesting season. If your noise is intermittent (such as blasting or fireworks), avoid creating that noise during the nesting season (January 1 – August 15).

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