Crystal Spring’s first bald eagle nest in century

The first active bald eagle nest in a century at Crystal Springs Watershed on the Peninsula gives hope that chicks could be born by mid-April.

To help visitors see the phenomenon, the Sequoia Chapter of the Audubon Society said it would post volunteers with spotting scopes on weekends during the nesting season.

Several Chronicle field scouts have reported seeing bald eagles this past winter at Crystal Springs. George Chrisman of Burlingame spent hours tracking the eagles this month and then spotted the construction of a new nest.

“A bald eagle nest at Crystal Spring Reservoir, a first in a century for us,” said Tyrone Jew of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which operates the watershed. “This is pretty cool stuff, pretty amazing, optimistic to hear this kind of news.”

The expansion of the bald eagle population in the region is credited to the Ventana Wildlife Society of Big Sur. In the late 1980s, the first bald eagles were brought from Canada with a goal that three mated pairs would be established. In 25 years, 21 pairs have been counted, 200 baby eagle chicks have been produced, and expansion of the population has led to nests near Del Valle Reservoir near Livermore and now at Crystal Springs.

To see the bald eagles, you must have high-power binoculars or a spotting scope, and it’s advised to get the help of a volunteer guide.

To get there: On the Peninsula, take I-280 to Black Mountain Road, then take Black Mountain Road west toward the golf course and Crystal Springs to Skyline Boulevard. Turn left on Skyline and drive 1.5 miles south, and the first instant you can see the lake (just before the construction gate for the water project work), park on the gravel shoulder of the road.

You will likely see other cars parked and people who are scanning for the nest. Look northwest across the lake for a single barren snag, suggested Jennifer Rycenga of Sequoia Audubon. Just to the left of the barren snag, the nest is in a Douglas fir, 20 to 30 feet from the top of three.

“You can see the eagle’s head when it is on the nest, and they will occasionally stand on the rim to tend the nest,” Rycenga said.

Feel great in the next 24 hours: Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.

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