Bald eagle spotted at Oakland lake
A bald eagle has been spotted living and hunting fish at Oakland’s Lake Temescal in the last few months — a rare sighting, according to local birders and state wildlife officials.
Images and videos captured by birders show the majestic eagle sitting atop trees and swooping down to the lake to snag fish.
Ken Paglia, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The Chronicle that the agency has no records of bald eagle sightings at Lake Temescal.
Jim Roach, a photographer who regularly visits the lake and other parks, said he last saw an eagle there “many years ago,” adding that the birds have migrated over to Lake Chabot Regional Park.
Bald eagles, the national bird of the U.S. since 1782, were considered an endangered species just over a half-century ago due to pesticides, hunting and habitat destruction. In 1972, the U.S. government banned DDT and other pesticides, which wildlife officials say has resulted in a comeback over the years across the country.
Today, state officials say, bald eagles can be found nesting in 41 of California’s 58 counties, compared to just eight counties 46 years ago, thanks to reintroduction programs across the state.
“I think eagles are really expanding their territory lately,” Roach said. “I’m hearing about nests all over the place where 20 years ago there was only one nest around here. So they are definitely increasing their numbers so people are going to get to see them more and more often.”
At least two eagles were seen at Lake Chabot Regional Park in the last two years, according to data on eBird, a popular app and website where birders track their findings. Currently, Roach said, there are about five pairs around the Bay Area, including a pair that built two nests at a golf course in Alameda — which state wildlife officials said appeared to be the first nest in the city.
The Alameda pair lost their eggs in March and their nest suffered “significant damage” when an atmospheric river-fueled storm with winds as high as 88 mph pummeled the Bay Area, according to a blog post by the Golden Gate Audubon Society.
“The tree is still standing and the nest (mostly intact) is leaning over,” Rick Lewis, a photographer and volunteer with the Golden Gate Audubon Society, told The Chronicle in an email.
He said the eagles remain bonded, perching side by side at the golf course. The male frequently makes trips beyond the golf course, he said.
At Lake Temescal, Roach said he hasn’t seen the eagle build any nests but he has witnessed the bird try to steal fish from other birds.
“It’s kind of a thief,” he said jokingly. “He sits in the trees, lets the osprey that lives there also catch fish and then he tries to go steal it from the osprey.”
Allen Lin, a digital content creator, was fishing at the lake in April when he saw the eagle hunt for fish. It was his first time seeing a bald eagle in person, so he was excited. “I felt like I was watching a nature documentary” in person, he said.
One video shows the bald eagle hovering over the water for a few seconds before flying off with a rainbow trout. In another video, the bald eagle appears to be attacking ducklings.
“On the first attempt, it flew away with nothing in its claws, and on the second sighting, it caught a rainbow trout,” Lin said.