Perched high in the trees above South Deering, two bald eaglets spotted last month represent a major ecological milestone: the first bald eagles born in Chicago in more than 100 years.
Now, it’s time to name them.
To celebrate the historic births, the Chicago Park District has launched a “Name the Eaglets” competition, inviting Chicagoans and beyond to vote for their favorite names for the two hatchlings.
After receiving more than 3,000 submissions, a Park District committee narrowed the choices to three finalists: Migizi, Marian and Clawmet.
Migizi means “bald eagle” in Ojibwe (Anishinaabe), one of the Indigenous languages historically spoken in the Chicago region. Marian honors the South Side’s Marian R. Byrnes Natural Area and its namesake, a lifelong Chicago environmentalist and civil rights activist. Clawmet is a play on “Calumet,” the Southeast Side region where the eaglets’ nest is located.
Other runners-up were Billy Soaragin, Phoenix and Hope.
Hyde Park birders Pat and Steve Pearson were the first to photograph the nest on April 28 at Park No. 597 and have already cast their votes in the naming contest.
When they first spotted the nest, the couple could only see one eaglet peeking above the branches and were later thrilled to learn there were actually two chicks.
The Pearsons had monitored the area for more than a year, watching adult eagles carry large sticks into the treetops. Pat Pearson said finally seeing an eaglet in April was an emotional moment.
“I got choked up and tears were running down my face,” Pearson recalled. “It was almost a feeling of relief, because we were so anxious (to see if a baby would be born). We didn’t really know what to expect.”
Pat Pearson said she voted for Marian because the couple frequently bird-watches at the South Side natural area, while Steve voted for Migizi — the name he originally hoped to submit himself.
The birth of Chicago’s first bald eagles in a century has drawn excitement across Cook County and the world. The Park District said submissions came from a wide range of participants, from students in local Chicago classrooms to international participants from Argentina, France and Australia.
The Park District said the successful nesting is a promising sign that habitat restoration and conservation efforts are improving conditions for wildlife in the city. The Park District has temporarily closed the woodland path near the nesting site at Park No. 597 “for the foreseeable future” to protect the two bald eagle hatchlings.
As a federally protected species, the nest is protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits disturbing nesting eagles and carries penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and one year in prison. People are advised to stay at least 330 feet from the nesting area.
Chicagoans can vote for the eaglets’ names through midnight June 1. The winning names will be announced during the first week of June.
