Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Golden Eagle Chicks Discovered In Santa Monica Mountains For First Time In Three Decades

Some researchers on the South Coast are very, very excited. For the first time in three decades, Golden Eagles have been spotted nesting in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Katy Delaney is an ecologist with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area.   She says a consultant doing a bird survey spotted the eagles on private property. Biologists with the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Bloom Biological confirmed the nest location. They took blood samples from the checks for genetic testing, and put bands on them so their movements can be monitored.

The National Park Service ecologist says while the Golden Eagles are relatively plentiful, and aren’t considered endangered in California, it’s still rare to actually see them. They are found throughout the region, including the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, but they like isolated areas, which makes them hard to observe.

Delaney says the chicks grow quickly, and will be out of the nest and on their own by the end of the year. Just like people, their parents will stop babying them and push them out of the nest and into the world to fend for themselves.

The hope is that even after the chicks are gone, the adults will stick around and continue to nest in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
Related Stories