![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-L-eaglet-birth005_262378900.jpg\")
Two adult bald eagles watch over two eaglets in their nest in Chicago\u2019s South Deering neighborhood on May 7, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\nHyde Park birding couple Pat and Steve Pearson have ventured out to Chicago\u2019s Southeast Side once a week for over a year keeping their eyes and camera focused on two bald eagles soaring above South Deering.<\/p>\n
The couple watched the birds carry large twigs high into the treetops near Park No. 597, just south of Indian Ridge Marsh, gradually building a massive nest.<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t sure the nest would produce a baby eagle \u2014 but they hoped.<\/p>\n
The national bird hasn\u2019t been born in Chicago in over a century.<\/p>\n
That changed on April 28, when the Pearsons spotted a small grayish-brown eaglet peek its head above the nest.<\/p>\n
Pat Pearson, 68, said she was overcome with emotion when she saw the baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust out of the blue, there was this rather scruffy-looking little bird sticking its head out there,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I saw that baby\u2019s head pop up for the first time and my husband standing right there, I literally teared up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve Pearson, 80, snapped a photo of the history-making raptor.<\/p>\n
The couple initially kept the discovery quiet, worried potential crowds would disturb the nesting birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about us, it\u2019s about them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The Chicago Park District called the successful nesting an important ecological achievement for the city in a Wednesday announcement. By Thursday, observers and park officials confirmed there were actually two eaglets in the nest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an inevitable milestone that we\u2019ve been waiting to happen,\u201d said Edward Warden, president of the Chicago Ornithological Society. \u201cIt was only a matter of time because of the amount of work that\u2019s been done on Chicago\u2019s waterways, on Chicago\u2019s ecology. We knew that they were going to return some day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, Warden said birders observed another eagle nest with at least one eaglet at Oak Woods Cemetery in the nearby Grand Crossing neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the year bald eagles decided to make history, twice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Two adult bald eagles watch over two eaglets in their nest in Chicago\u2019s South Deering neighborhood on May 7, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
Warden said Chicago \u2014 particularly the Calumet region \u2014 provides ideal habitat for bald eagles because of its extensive waterways.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you can\u2019t necessarily see what\u2019s underneath the waves in the Calumet River or the Chicago River or Lake Michigan, the fact that these birds are present and making a home and are making the gamble that they can functionally raise a family, that there\u2019s enough here for them to raise the next generation, is about as big a validation as you can get that these waterways are truly healthy again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Previous bald eagle nesting attempts in Chicago, all on the Southeast Side, failed to produce eaglets, Warden said. While bird experts cannot say exactly why, he noted the unsuccessful nests suggested the birds wanted to return, but environmental conditions weren\u2019t yet suitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we are today, finally seeing a nest where the conditions are right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Park No. 597, also known as SEPA Station #1, proved to be an ideal nesting site for these eagles, said Park No. 597 Supervisor Stephen Bell.<\/p>\n
The eagle nest sits high above a thriving wetland of Caspian terns, herons and swans \u2014 where restored marshes meet the industrial landscape of nearby landfills and freight trains.<\/p>\n
Though the Southeast Side is often associated with Chicago\u2019s industrial past, it\u2019s also home to extensive marshes, forests and waterways.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe legacy of industry has left these abandoned, forgotten, some of them abused spaces that are slowly being restored,\u201d Bell said. \u201cThat open space creates an opportunity for species like the eagle.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ford](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-L-eaglet-birth001_262379032.jpg\")
Ford Calumet Environmental Center Director Stephen Bell, left, chats with birder Maureen Foody, of Bridgeport, near the eagles’ nest in Chicago’s South Deering neighborhood on May 7, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
The marsh and forest preserve area were previously managed by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago before the Park District assumed control in 2019 as part of broader efforts to expand healthy natural areas on the Southeast Side.<\/p>\n
Since then, restoration crews have removed invasive species such as buckthorn and worked to rebuild wetland and forest ecosystems \u2014 efforts that conservationists say helped to attract nesting eagles.<\/p>\n
The eaglets represent a major victory for those restoration projects, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ram\u00edrez-Rosa said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like it to be a regular occurrence, and for that to happen, we need the public\u2019s cooperation to see even more wildlife thrive in our urban parks,\u201d Ram\u00edrez-Rosa said in the statement.<\/p>\n
Although bald eagles are increasingly common throughout Illinois and are occasionally spotted within Chicago city limits, successful nesting in the city has remained elusive until now. The birds are typically drawn to large rivers and lakes such as the Calumet River and Lake Calumet.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople slot (the Southeast Side) as this vast, polluted, uninhabited region of the city,\u201d Warren said. \u201cNot only is all of that just not true, but the future of this region is already starting to be manifested, of truly one of the most ecologically diverse and important areas in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
As restoration work continues, Warden said the improvements benefit both wildlife, like bald eagles, and residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that we\u2019re doing for these birds is directly benefiting any of the people who live on the Southeast Side of the city as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-L-eaglet-birth002_262378908.jpg\")
A nest containing two eaglets is hidden among a group of trees in Chicago\u2019s South Deering neighborhood on May 7, 2026. (Chris Sweda\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
He hopes the successful nesting marks the beginning of a broader return of bald eagles across Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no reason why there can\u2019t be more, why some day it can\u2019t be that bald eagles go from a \u2018Wow, that\u2019s a really cool novelty,\u2019 to a common occurrence all across the city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The bald eagle, long considered a symbol of American strength and freedom, was officially designated the national bird<\/a> in December 2024.<\/p>\n