Eagle Watch 2026

As the weather slowly (very slowly) but surely starts to turn a little warmer, it’s time for us to keep a close eye on Historic Sotterley’s Bald Eagle nest!

Pax and Mac, short for Patuxent and Potomac, have made their return to our site every year for more than a decade. For most of that time, they’ve been building and improving on an impressively massive nest in the oldest and tallest Sycamore tree at Historic Sotterley. We’ve proudly cheered them on for every return, carefully watching for their next successful clutch of eaglets.

Ken Barlow, a local photographer and friend of Historic Sotterley, has already captured some beautiful photos of the female, Pax, checking out the area around the nest. While we haven’t seen her mate recently, we are in prime time for breeding and egg laying in Maryland. This officially starts our Eagle Watch for 2026! We’ll be looking to see if Mac has returned and looking for signs that Pax has laid her eggs and is incubating them.

Photo by Ken Barlow from February 9th, 2026 of Pax at the nest.

Bald Eagle Facts

  • Bald Eagles typically lay their eggs from February to March in Maryland, but in Southern Maryland they can lay their eggs as early as late January.
  • Bald Eagles lay 1-3 eggs per clutch, and will only have one clutch per year
  • Eggs incubate for a little over a month. If Pax and Mac are successful, we’ll likely see eaglets in April, and they’ll fledge and leave the nest between May and June.
  • Bald Eagle fledglings won’t have their signature white heads when they leave the nest. It will take them about five years to develop the look we know and love. Until then, they will be various stages of mottled brown, with more white feathers the older they are.
  • Bald Eagle pairs typically use the same nest year after year. Each time they return, they’ll make repairs and expansions to ensure everything is up to snuff. Pax and Mac lost their Sycamore nest during Hurricane Irene and spent a couple years nesting elsewhere, but they eventually returned and rebuilt better than ever.
  • Bald Eagle nests are HUGE, often measuring 6 feet across and 3-4 feet deep. Sounds cozy!

Photo by Ken Barlow from May 2022 of that year’s eaglet pair

If you’d like to join us for the hype of Eagle Watch 2026, you can visit us and check out their progress! Our Eagle Nest Overlook, built by local Eagle Scouts and located behind our Historic Barn, has a perfect view of the nest. Bring binoculars and a camera, and remember to tag us if you post any pictures so we can see how our favorite birds are doing. Please do not try to hike too close to their tree while you’re here, as Bald Eagles are very territorial and can be stressed by the disturbance.

We’d like to give a special thank you to Ken for providing us with pictures of our eagles and helping keep us aware of their activities. We’ll keep you all posted if there are any updates on their breeding season!