Crowds ebbed and flowed along East\u00a0Lawther Drive near the White Rock Lake Stone Tables for a glance at the bald eagles and their babies Thursday afternoon. Some knew exactly where to look, having already visited the eagles before, while others had no idea what they were stumbling upon.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOh wow,\u201d one passerby whispered. \u201cThat nest is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few cars stopped for passengers to take pictures along the way. \u201cFree Bird\u201d by\u00a0Lynyrd Skynyrd played as the biker rode through the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The eagles, affectionately named Nick and Nora by White Rock residents, hatched three eaglets in March 2026.<\/p>\n
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A bald eagle feeds one of its three eaglets at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
People gather to watch a pair of bald eagles and their three eaglets at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A pair of nearly three-month-old eaglets sit in their nest at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle chews on a branch at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle feeds one of its three eaglets at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle flaps its wings atop a tree at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle sits on a tree branch at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle takes flights from its nest at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle feeds its eaglets fish at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
A bald eagle sits on a tree branch at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Dallas Park and Recreation, in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is monitoring the eagle family and working to keep them safe, according to a Tuesday news release.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Paula Selzer said she started birding about 10 years ago after she retired from the Environmental Protection Agency. Since 2021, when the eagle couple first came to North Texas, Selzer has kept up with them.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Related:\u00a02 bald eagle chicks at White Rock Lake, Dallas officials confirm<\/a> (2024)<\/p>\n The fact that the eagles have returned year after year<\/a> is the coolest thing ever, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the fact that there\u2019s development all around, stores, homes and traffic,\u201d Selzer said. \u201cThey just keep coming back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Birder and photographer Paula Selzer takes photos of bald eagles and their eaglets at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n The three eaglets are entering a life stage called branching, where they leave the nest and begin to hop, climb and flutter from branch to branch, Rebecca\u00a0Hamlin, president of the North Texas Wildlife Center, said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n This stage is critical for muscle coordination and development, particularly for raptors, Hamlin said. During branching, the parents will stay nearby to supervise. \u00a0<\/p>\n After all three finish branching, they\u2019ll move to the fledging phase, where they begin taking their first leaps from the nest, Chris Morris, Dallas Park and Recreation urban biologist, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Photos: Bald eagles soar above White Rock Lake with two eaglets<\/a> (2024)<\/p>\n The eaglets become fully independent about 17-23 weeks after hatching, Hamlin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For the White Rock eaglets, this could land anytime between late August and early September since the eaglets were born in mid-March, Morris said.<\/p>\n The eaglets, currently dark brown in color, will mature over the next four-and-a-half years before they start \u201cbalding,\u201d the process where their head and tail feathers turn white, Hamlin said. Their wingspans can reach six to eight feet when fully grown.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hamlin said the best way to observe the eagles is from a distance. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRespecting their space helps protect both the eagles and the eaglets and their nesting area,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cWe want them to feel safe and keep the family intact.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Since bald eagles are protected by federal law, the park and recreation department has placed signs near the nest asking onlookers and park visitors to keep noise levels low, the release said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A sign warns people to keep their distance from the bald eagle nest at White Rock Lake on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Hamlin said it is also important to avoid leaving food for the eagles and ensure that any trash near the nesting site is picked up.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Officials said the department will also install water-filled barricades near the eagles\u2019 nesting area. The East Lawther Drive playground will close once the barricades are in place, according to the release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The department will keep the Dreyfuss area, White Rock Trail, and Lake Highlands Drive open for walking and biking.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Crowds ebbed and flowed along East\u00a0Lawther Drive near the White Rock Lake Stone Tables for a glance at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":["post-631308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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