Clever Turtle Escapes From Bald Eagle Live on Nest Cam

By Bethanie H

Published

03/28/2025

When a bald eagle snatched up a turtle and brought it up to its nest, that little turtle probably thought it was the end. But then, in a massive plot twist, it escaped. That’s right, a slow-poke turtle escaped from an eagle’s nest from right under its captor’s nose . . . literally. How, you ask? Well, there was a nest cam recording the whole thing, so you can see for yourself.

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The Redding, California eagles, Liberty and Guardian, have their own livestream nest cam on YouTube. Guardian initially made the catch, and Liberty was guarding the turtle when it made a bolt for it.

The Friends of the Redding Eagles (FORE), the organization that facilitates the nest cam, posted an update after the incident, saying they’d named the turtle “Lucky.” The organization hasn’t been able to search the area for little Lucky, but they’re hoping for the best.

“Liberty & Guardian’s new nest is approximately 70 feet off the ground,” FORE wrote in a Facebook post. “The ground below the nest is covered in 8-foot tall Himalayan Blackberry Bushes. So, we just hope that Lucky’s luck held out & somehow it survived the fall & landed softly & safely in the bushes below the nest.”

Watch as a turtle ends up in a bald eagle nest and then escapes. Part one (below) shows Guardian bringing the turtle to its nest, and part two shows the turtle’s great escape.