Welcome to the John Bunker Sands Eagle Tower Cam
Eagle Tower Cam History
Bald eagles at the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center have a very interesting history. From their beginnings with a nest built in a support arm of an active high-voltage transmission line tower, to the move of that arm with the nest inside to a new custom tower without wires, the Wetland Center eagles have survived it all and continue to raise eaglets each season. A history of the eagles, tower, and related events are chronicled below.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2008 to 2010 | Adult bald eagle activity observed in the Wetland. No nesting activity noticed. Juvenile bald eagles are seen with adults. |
| Fall 2011 to Winter 2011 | Bald eagle nesting activity observed on a high voltage transmission tower owned by Oncor (power company). Juvenile bald eagles again seen with adults. |
| Spring 2012 | Adult bald eagles leave Wetland and fly north for the summer. |
| Fall 2012 to Winter 2012 | Pair of bald eagles return to the Wetland. Courting and nest-building behavior observed on the Oncor high voltage transmission tower. Two eaglets are viewed (from a distance) in the nest. |
| Spring 2013 | Adult bald eagles observed hunting for food and feeding their young. The two eaglets are growing and getting stronger. |
| May 2013 | Partnership formed between Oncor, Falcon Steel, and the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center for continued monitoring and eventual relocation of the eagle nest to Wetland property. |
| June 2013 | 2 eaglets fledge the nest and flourish in the Wetland. |
| Summer 2013 | Adult eagles and juvenile eagles leave Wetland and fly north for the summer. Plans move forward for relocating the nest. |
| September 2013 | Adult eagles return early. Relocation efforts postponed until summer of 2014. Bird deterrents installed by Oncor on adjacent high-voltage tower structures. |
| Fall 2013 to Winter 2013 | Observation of adult bald eagles and their nesting behavior continues through the breeding season. |
| Spring 2014 | New eaglets observed. |
| Summer 2014 | Continued monitoring of eagles with Oncor's staff biologists for eventual relocation of the eagle nest to the new tower structure. |
| July 12-13, 2014 | The tower arm with the eagle nest inside is safely moved to the new custom tower approximately 1/4 mile away. Cameras are also installed. |
| Summer 2016 | Major upgrade to the camera system. |
| September 28, 2016 | Eagles return to the Wetland Center nest and began their courtship for the 2017 breeding season. |
| June to August 2019 | Several powerful thunderstorms pummel the Wetlands area over a period of weeks. An F0 tornado is suspected during one storm, but not confirmed. Both eagle cameras were put out of commission, and the communication electronics were destroyed by lightning. |
| September 4, 2019 | Work commenced with urgency to replace the damaged cameras and electronics. |
| September 10, 2019 | System design documents from a Licensed Professional Engineer sent to John Bunker Sands Wetland Center. New electronics and hardware ordered. Installation scheduled for October 5, 2019. |
| October 5, 2019 | Cameras and solar equipment were due to be installed. The eagles had other ideas and arrived on October 3. Hardware was returned, and repair work postponed until after the eagles fly north in summer of 2020. |
| July 2020 | Eagles are confirmed gone from the nest. Project to install new equipment resumes. |
| August 2020 | Newer camera ordered (an upgrade from the 2019 model), along with procurement of other hardware, solar panels, and electronics. |
| September 7, 2020 | Last of the hardware arrived. Assembly of the system components began two days later (Sept 9), and took approximately 60 working hours to finish. See the "Installation Day" video for an interior view of the electronics enclosure at the base of the eagle tower. |
| September 26, 2020 | Installation of the new camera system began at sunrise. Work was expected to take 10-12 hours to complete in one long day. Wrong. It took 18 hours. 12 hours on the 26th plus 6 additional hours on the 27th. The crane was required both days. Oncor's crane crew volunteered again for the extra day. |
| Sept 27, 2020 | New camera system installation was done by mid-afternoon. |
| Sept 28 to Oct 4, 2020 | System software setup, programming, and testing commenced. |
| October 5, 2020 | Final software adjustments made to the camera system. |
| October 6, 2020 | The new John Bunker Sands Wetland Center Eagle Cam went live on the Internet. |
The information above was compiled from multiple sources including the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center website, Oncor, NBC5 (KXAS TV), Falcon Steel, and others. While it's believed to be correct, dates and events are subject to change in the interest of accuracy.
