Taken from the path on the trail leading west from Gate 6 located off of Route 70 on the east side of Wachusett Reservoir, near Clinton, Massachusetts. The nest is on an island west of Hastings Cove. A scope is required for a good look since you'll be over 1,000 feet from the nest -- far enough to assure you won't disturb the birds by watching them.
I had heard that the
Bald Eagle nest at
Wachusett Reservoir was destroyed by a storm last year just prior to banding the young. I found an
article from the 10/23/2008 Boston Globe that seemed to confirmed this. Having watched the
Bald Eagle at Hager Pond in Marlboro during the past few weeks and being curious about whether or not the nest might be rebuilt, I decided to check it out.
I was surprised to find the nest in the same location where I saw during the past two years. In fact, it looks in perfect condition as if nothing ever happened to it. I didn't see any adult birds while I was there, but later spotted a juvenile Bald Eagle near Route 12 on the west side of the reservoir. I wonder if it was rebuilt last year or this year or if the article pertained to a different nest. The following is a quote from the Boston globe article:
"Not all the news from the summer survey was cheery. A windstorm blew down an eagle nest near the Wachusett Reservoir this summer, said French. One chick died, but biologists rescued the remaining chick, nursed it back to health, and released it near the Connecticut River."
