The Miles City eagle cam still waits expectantly on its high cottonwood perch near Riverside Park on Main Street, but there's nothing to capture because the pair of eagles that nested there for several years has apparently relocated. Last season was also a bust, as the prolific pair didn't have any eggs hatch, and later winds destroyed portions of the nest.

But in 2014 and 2015, people in town and all over the world had front-row seats via a web cam as these beautiful birds tended the nest and eggs, fed their eaglets and taught the fledglings how to fend for themselves.

Watchers definitely miss tuning in to the eagles, according to Dean Hanvold of Technologies Plus, who networked and maintained the eagle cam.

"I still get emails every week about it, and I finally just quit trying to answer them all," he said.

The children at the ROCKS after-school and summer program miss having the nest literally in their backyard, according to Director Joyce Vera.

"They always watched the camera on the computers, and would run out the back if the eagle dropped something out of the nest," Vera said. "They got really excited to see them fly in, and got extra excited to find bones or fur on the ground!"

"The eagles always returned to the nest the first of February, and began the process of filling in spots on the nest, before she laid the eggs," Vera said. "Then it seemed like a long process of waiting for those eggs to crack open - the anticipation was hard. We keep hoping that they will return, so we can fire up that camera again for future viewings."

The camera is off now, but Hanvold would be willing to reactivate it if the eagles returned. He saw them briefly visit the site earlier this year, but they moved on and he hasn't seen them in the area again.

The web cam was a partnership between Technologies Plus; ROCKS, whose building housed the Internet connection; Mid-Rivers Communications; and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The Montana Department of Transportation, Miles City Fire & Rescue, Yellowstone Valley Audubon Chapter, Holy Rosary Healthcare Foundation and Kiwi Pete's Tree Service also played roles, and donations came from several groups and individuals.

Adult eagles may not reproduce every year, but when they do, both male and female incubate a clutch of one to three eggs for about five weeks. Adults care for the eaglets until they take flight at around 10 to 12 ½ weeks, and the young eagles often stay close to the nest for several more weeks as they learn to hunt from their parents.

If people see an eagles nest in the Miles City area, they are encouraged to call Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7 headquarters at 234-0900 and share their observations. Viewers are advised to keep their distance from the nest and the eagles.

Meawhile, viewers looking for a taste of nature can tune in to the DC Eagle Cam at http://www.dceaglecam.org, where two eaglets recently hatched. The site is hosted by the American Eagle Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture.