Grand Old Pair" of the eagle world
29th April 2010


The Hornby Island Eagles are the "grand old pair" of the eagle world.

They have been very closely observed for 20 years, successfully fledging 18 eaglets in that period. They are now sitting on two more eggs, the first one due to hatch the week of Monday April 26 (approximately). A day or two before hatching, the chick inside will peck a hole through the shell, enabling you to hear its peeping from inside the shell.

The Hornby Island eagles were the first eagles to be seen worldwide by millions of viewers. Their eggs failed to hatch and they were written off by some as being too old.

But, surprise, they produced Thunder and Lightning the next year. They hatched two more chicks in 2009, Hope and Echo. Echo died in a tragic accident, watched by many right here on WildEarth.tv. His head was caught in a tangle of feathers in his mother's underside and he fell to his death after she took off from the nest..

Hope went on to be a most vigorous fledgling which returned from migration to the nest site earlier this spring.

So the old couple keeps on producing. They are now 27 years of age. The oldest eagles in the wild have been recorded to have reached 30 years.

You can follow the drama on your computers on this site and at The Eagles of Hornby Island. Will they fledge two more eaglets? Do they keep laying eggs until they die? Watch this space!!!

Thanks to Doug Carrick for posting the original article.

Go to this link to see a live web cam of this nesting pair of eagles with a chick. This is in British Columbia. Very interesting......I enjoy seeing them around lake Verrett and Stephensville but this makes it a lot more personal. There is an egg in the nest but they do not think it will hatch. The chick is about 8 days old.....enjoy....

Hormby Island Eagle Cam