Crowds ebbed and flowed along East Lawther 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.

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“Oh wow,” one passerby whispered. “That nest is huge.”

A few cars stopped for passengers to take pictures along the way. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd played as the biker rode through the area. 

The eagles, affectionately named Nick and Nora by White Rock residents, hatched three eaglets in March 2026.

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.

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.

Related: 2 bald eagle chicks at White Rock Lake, Dallas officials confirm (2024)

The fact that the eagles have returned year after year is the coolest thing ever, she said.

“Despite the fact that there’s development all around, stores, homes and traffic,” Selzer said. “They just keep coming back.” 

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 Hamlin, president of the North Texas Wildlife Center, said.  

This stage is critical for muscle coordination and development, particularly for raptors, Hamlin said. During branching, the parents will stay nearby to supervise.  

After all three finish branching, they’ll move to the fledging phase, where they begin taking their first leaps from the nest, Chris Morris, Dallas Park and Recreation urban biologist, said. 

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Related: Photos: Bald eagles soar above White Rock Lake with two eaglets (2024)

The eaglets become fully independent about 17-23 weeks after hatching, Hamlin said. 

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.

The eaglets, currently dark brown in color, will mature over the next four-and-a-half years before they start “balding,” the process where their head and tail feathers turn white, Hamlin said. Their wingspans can reach six to eight feet when fully grown. 

Hamlin said the best way to observe the eagles is from a distance.  

“Respecting their space helps protect both the eagles and the eaglets and their nesting area,” Hamlin said. “We want them to feel safe and keep the family intact.” 

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. 

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.

Officials said the department will also install water-filled barricades near the eagles’ nesting area. The East Lawther Drive playground will close once the barricades are in place, according to the release. 

The department will keep the Dreyfuss area, White Rock Trail, and Lake Highlands Drive open for walking and biking. 

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