More Connections Between Bald Eagles and Island Foxes

courtesy of P. Sharpe; bald eagle catching fish off the islands

The recovery of bald eagles on the California Channel Islands has played an important role in island fox recovery. Bald eagles prey on fish and marine birds. They are not mammal predators and do not actively hunt island foxes. Because bald eagles nest on the Channel Islands, they chase away migrating golden eagles and do not allow them to colonize the islands.

With 50-60 bald eagles now living across the eight Channel Islands, no island foxes are known to have been killed by golden eagles for several years. Bald eagles definitely make a difference in the ecosystem for island foxes. But what benefit do island foxes provide bald eagles?  

Across the Channel Islands bald eagles are hatching out their 2018 chicks. Channel Island National Park reported that there are 13 active bald eagle nests across the islands this year and at least 22 known eggs.  

courtesy P. Sharpe

Three eaglets hatched in the Sauces Canyon nest last week on Santa Cruz Island. You can watch them 24 hrs a day via a webcam https://explore.org/livecams/bald-eagles/channel-islands-national-park-sauces-bald-eagle

Tonight, close observers saw some unexpected visitors to the bald eagle nest. Along with fish, the parent bald eagles have brought scavenged seal placenta back to the nest to feed their chicks. But with the darkness, something else stole up into the nest to eat the placenta bits. Circled in green, do you see the surprise scavengers? island deer mice.

captured image from the webcam 3/20/18

Who would have thought that hungry deer mice would come up into the bald eagle nest to eat meaty placenta. The eagle does not have night vision, it is a daytime hunter. It could hear the munching mice and would occasionally drive them off. Island deer mice are known to eat songbird eggs, and possibly chicks, when given the opportunity, (like when island fox populations were very low). The eaglets are small and without their parent's protection, would they be prey for the gang of deer mice? At one point six deer mice were visible.

Island foxes play an important role in controlling island deer mouse populations. 

Other bald eagle parents on the islands are sleeping soundly tonight, but the bald eagle with the messy nest is wide awake in the rain. It has two jobs tonight: keeping three eaglets warm and dry, and keeping the deer mice at bay. It will be a long night for this bald eagle, it needs an island fox.

Island foxes sometimes clean leftover food out of bald eagle nests. Island fox in a bald eagle nest.

New discovery of house mice attacking albatross chicks and nesting adults. 

Channel Island Foxes Celebrate Earth Day

Yippee! Channel island foxes have much to celebrate this Earth Day. Across the four islands, where island foxes were listed as endangered in 2005, pups are being born this month. The San Miguel Island fox that nearly went extinct with only 15 surviving foxes has seen a population recovery in record time. Current Island Fox Numbers 


Come Celebrate Earth Day with Friends of the Island Fox at the

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22

10 AM - 3 PM

April is pupping season! We'll be celebrating the newest generation of Channel Island foxes. Tani, the FIF Twitter fox, has gone into her den preparing for the birth of her offspring. Follow her on facebook. Across the islands wild female island foxes are doing the same thing.

Visit the FIF booth on Earth Day and see:

• the size of an island fox pup
• an island fox print that we made on Santa Cruz Island in March

Come to a Fox Talk at the island fox enclosure at Noon & 2 PM both days.

Join in a new activity to challenge your sense of smell. Can you follow a scent trail like an island fox?

Bald eagles reintroduced to the islands are thriving. A record 15 pairs are nesting across the Channel Islands. You can watch bald eagle chicks growing up on the live eagle-cams:
Channel Islands National Park eagle cams
Catalina Island eagle cams

Across the Channel Islands there is much to celebrate. You can see the recovery of wildlife yourself by joining Friends of the Island Fox on a trip to Santa Cruz Island on May 5, 2012.

Bald Eagles and Island Foxes

Tani is learning about the bald eagles on the Channel Islands and you can too. 

photo courtesy of Peter Sharp, IWS

Bald eagles went extinct on the Channel Islands following the use of DDT in Southern California. While this chemical insecticide successfully killed insects around homes and on agricultural crops, it stayed in the environment. The chemical ingredients of DDT take many years to disappear or degrade. They were washed from fields and cities into streams, rivers and eventually the ocean. 


When small animals ate the chemicals, they were in turn eaten by larger animals. Seafloor worms were eaten by fish, and the fish were eaten by the bald eagle and the brown pelican. The chemicals accumulated in top predators like theses large birds. The DDT didn't kill the eagles directly, it caused them to be unable to lay eggs with hard shells. When the mother eagle sat on her eggs they cracked. No eaglets were born and the bald eagles disappeared completely from the Channel Islands.


Today DDT is no longer legally used in the United States. Part of the effort to return the Channel Islands to their natural state was to relocate young bald eagles to Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina Islands. These reintroduced bald eagles have grown-up. They are doing well and reproducing.

You can watch the bald eagles live as they raise their chicks through the on-line EAGLECAM

As of May 1, 2011 the chicks are small gray fluffs in the nest.  They are growing up just as the island fox pups are growing up.

Watch a video from the EAGLECAM where an island fox visits the bald eagle nest.


Follow Tani's adventures as an island fox grows up on Twitter or Facebook.

Fire and Foxes on Catalina Island

As of 6 PM Friday May 11 the wildfire on Catalina Island appears to be 35% contained. The current situation is an unfortunate example of the delicate nature of island habitats.

Officials from the Catalina Island Conservancy report:

Bald Eagles
The bald eagle chicks that recently hatched on the island are safe. The nests are on the eastern end of the island and not near the fire area. (more on the new bald eagle chicks)

Island Foxes
Currently the effect of the fire on wild island foxes is unknown. Radio collars on individual foxes will be vital in locating individual animals and determining if any have been overwhelmed by the wildfire.

This is another situation that highlights the importance of radio collars on the endangered island foxes on San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina Islands. Island foxes are currently having their pups on the islands. This new generation will soon need radio collars.

You can help make sure all endangered island foxes have radio collars.

More on the Catalina island foxes.

As details regarding the Santa Catalina island foxes and the Catalina Island Conservancy become available Friends of the Island Fox will provide updates through our Island Fox News e-mails. To be added to the e-mail list contact us at islandfoxnews@gmail.com

For photos and an article in the Los Angeles Times CLICK HERE

Bald Eagle Update: Spring 2007

The recovery of island fox populations on the northern islands is linked to the successful return of bald eagles to the Channel Islands. (Why bald eagles went extinct on the Channel Islands in the 20th century)

Bald eagles stake out territory for themselves and help to keep out golden eagles which prey on unsuspecting island foxes.

This spring has been filled with wonderful successes for nesting bald eagles on the Channel Islands.

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife reports “Two Bald Eagle Chicks Hatch Unaided on Catalina Island”
• Catalina Island Conservancy announces “Third Bald Eagle Chick Hatches Naturally on Catalina Island”
• Channel Islands National Park finds bald eagles nesting for the second year on Santa Cruz Island
• You can watch the bald eagle chicks grow up via NestCam as part of the Catalina Island Bald Eagle Restoration Project conducted by the Institute for Wildlife Studies.
• Hear the Latest Bald Eagle News from Dr. Peter Sharpe, Institute for Wildlife Studies when he talks on “Bald Eagle Restoration on the Channel Islands” at Channel Island National Park Wednesday May 9 at 7:00 PM.

Each Channel Island is a delicate ecosystem. Restoring habitat and supporting a healthy bald eagle population is vital to saving the endangered island fox.

Island foxes are presently having their pups out on the islands. Stay tuned for Updates from the Fox Conference in June and come support Friends of the Island Fox at the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ Fox Festival Saturday May 19th.