It’s not exactly a secret that a pair of bald eagles call Shelley Lake home. They’ve lived there for years, and they stop bird watchers and passersby in their tracks often. Especially right now–because they have a baby.

If you’re really eagle-eyed, you might catch a glimpse of the seven-week-old eaglet high in its nest above the trail. It’s not the first time the Shelley Lake bald eagles have raised a baby there. We wanted to learn more about this growing family, so we took our questions to City of Raleigh Land Stewardship Program Manager Sean Gough.

How long have the Bald Eagles been at Shelley Lake?

Gough said they moved in at the end of 2017.

“They typically show up in the October-November timeframe, and then it carries over into the next year, completing the nesting cycle,” Gough said. “That makes this their ninth year consecutively.”

Gough believes that, based on the time they’ve been here, the eagles are in their early teens. 

“I want to say they live into their 20s naturally, in captivity a little bit longer,” Gough said. “These eagles have been the same since they moved in and they mate for life.”

He said they usually nest in the same location–though these eagles have moved their nest to a different tree in recent years.

What are their names?

A community Facebook group, Shelley Lake Park Fans, named the eagle couple.

“They dubbed the male Raleigh and the female is Shelley,” Gough said. “These birds have a pretty strong following, especially in the local area and we have a lot of really engaged, really interested community members that help us.”

Gough said it can be difficult to tell which eagle you’re seeing unless you see them together. Male and female bald eagles are identical–except the females are bigger than the males.

How many eaglets are in the nest this year?

Just one eaglet hatched in March of 2026. 

“They usually average two,” Gough said. “Actually, the first three years they nested, it was pretty eventful. They had chicks fall from the nest all three years. In 2021, we put a little platform near the nesting tree. If an eaglet were to fall again, we could take them there and the parents would still take care of it but we haven’t needed it since then.”

Can the eaglet leave the nest yet?

The eaglet is about 7-weeks-old and they usually start leaving the nest around 11 to 13-weeks-old.

“It’s getting just big enough to kind of stretch its wings and start limb hopping.”

Young eagles do not get their distinctive white head feathers until they are about four or five years old. Before that, all their feathers were brown.

What should I do if I see an eagle in distress?

Gough said generally, eagles are self-sufficient, but the community has been very helpful in monitoring their health. Concerned park visitors called the city when previous eaglets fell out of the nest.

“We worked with wildlife rehabbers to get some of them released,” Gough said. “If people were to ask what they can do to protect the eagles, the number one thing here at Shelley Lake is to take care of your fishing line, be aware of where you are and do your best to clean up after yourself.”