San Francisco Zoo: Bald Eagle

At the zoo, there is a wonderful island surrounded by a beautiful pond, which is, in turn, bordered by a lovely, expansive lawn. On this island live two gorgeous Bald Eagles! They are both injured and will never fly again, but instead, have a loving, forever home where nobody can bother them and they can enjoy the outdoors in contented bliss. I was thunderstruck to see this eagle and its companion, as I have never seen one since I became interested in photography, and I've been wanting to see these birds forever! I couldn't get over how amazingly beautiful these birds are!!

Here is text from the San Francisco Zoo website that tells more about their eagles and the wonderful conservation efforts they've helped so much with:

For over twenty years, the San Francisco Zoo has helped to conserve bald eagles, maintaining the largest captive breeding and release program in the country. Even though the species is not officially endangered any longer, the Zoo’s off-exhibit captive breeding facility for bald eagles is still home to two pairs of bald eagles. Since 1991, the Bald Eagle Recovery Program, in conjunction with the Wildlife Institute, has released over 95 eagles to sites in central and southern California, as well as Tennessee. The Zoo initiated its California Bald Eagle Breeding Program in 1985 to help with the recovery of the state's bald eagle breeding population, which had declined from a historic high of approximately 400 pairs to fewer than 35 pairs in the 1970’s.

Live Eagle Nest Cam! During breeding season, you can watch the Catalina Island eagles at the West End nest via live webcam! Visit www.iws.org and select "Eagle Nest Cam" from "Interactive" on the menu.

The Bald Eagle Recovery Program is headquartered at the Zoo's off-exhibit facility, the Avian Conservation Center. San Francisco Zoo houses three rescued eagles, injured in the wild and incapable of being re-released. You might see one of our rescued bald eagles on Eagle Island near the bear exhibits, or meet one of our eagle ambassadors at a special event, or on a walk through the Zoo with a handler. www.sfzoo.org/baldeagle