Sea-EagleCAM’s 2026 season

Sydney Olympic Park’s resident white-bellied sea-eagles, Lady and Dad, are raising two chicks through a season that began with a collapsed nest.

Established in 2009, Sea-EagleCAM is a live, remote feed that operates out of the Discovery Centre in the Newington Armory at Sydney Olympic Park. Sea-EagleCAM was started and funded by a small group of BirdLife Australia volunteers, who continue to develop and operate the technology.
The 2026 season started in early April when the base of the nest collapsed and could no longer hold eggs. Lady and Dad spent May and June rebuilding it, carrying on despite night-time disturbances from possums and Powerful Owls.

Eggs appear

The first egg, SE37, was laid on 3 July, and the second, SE38, late on 6 July. Lady left the first egg uncovered for long stretches at first, even on those cold Winter nights – the delayed incubation these eagles are known for. Full incubation began once the second egg arrived. That delay is why the eggs, laid three days apart, hatched only about a day apart. A chance for the younger smaller chick to catch up a little.

Hatching in mid-August

A pip appeared on 12 August. SE37 hatched at 4:08 am on 13 August, and SE38 followed at 5:54 am on 14 August.
By 15 and 16 August both chicks were white and downy, with Dad bringing in birds and fish and Lady doing most of the feeding. As the season progressed, Lady certainly brought her share of the prey. Through late August and September they grew quickly into grey-brown juveniles, feeding on a variety of fish and gulls – mullet, bream, eel and leatherjacket. They were starting to feed themselves. The early sibling pecking settled down. By early October both were well feathered, flapping their wings, balancing on the nest rim and joining their parents in duets.

Fledging soon

On 22 October, SE37 was 10 weeks old and SE38 a day younger -,both strengthening their wings and practising for fledging while still being fed by their parents. The first step will be branching – flying a short way to a nearby branch, then back to the nest. Then fledging, though no fledging has been recorded yet. Chicks usually fledge about 65–70 days after hatching, so it could happen any day.

Watch Now

Visit the EagleCAM page http://www.birdlife.org.au/visit-us/discovery-centre/eagle-cam/ for the single-camera live stream footage from the nest. You can also visit https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/Sea.EagleCAM for further details and updates