A pair of locally famous eagles appear to be choosing privacy over fame this summer.

Officials are fairly certain the eagles which made their home in the nest that includes a web-cam along the Millennium Trail last year are back in Whitehorse, but are nesting elsewhere in the same area.

On Wednesday, Yukon Electrical Co. Ltd. announced its "eagle cam” at the Millennium Trail has been turned off for the season since there are no eagles in the nest.

"We were pretty disappointed. We spent a lot of time with that family,” said Yukon Electric spokeswoman Laura Carlson.

She recalled watching the family, including three chicks hatched there, via the camera last summer.

She expects there will be a lot of disappointment among the many people who last summer logged on to see the live view of the eagles – contributing to the one million-plus hits on the website between May 12 and Sept. 9, 2013. People around the world dropped in for a look.

"We spent a lot of time with them,” she said of the birds.

The man-made nest has been there since 2007, with eagles nesting each season since 2009. Yukon Electrical employees erected the nest after a nearby nest was destroyed by storms.

As it states on Yukon Electrical's website, the nest was put up in the hopes it would provide a "suitable replacement to keep the bald eagles from nesting in nearby power lines as an alternative.”

Care was taken to ensure the camera installed in January 2013 would not disturb the eagles, with Yukon Electrical partnering with EDI Environmental Dynamics on the endeavour.

As Carlson noted, it was installed before the eagles returned for the season. If it had been disturbed, they likely would not have nested there.

Down to the slightest details, the camera was installed in a way that would not upset the birds while giving the world an opportunity to see eagles in their natural surroundings.

EDI wildlife biologist Anne MacLeod said the type of camera selected, its placement and the timing of the installation were all in the interest of not disrupting the eagles' activities and providing a view of the birds.

While the eagles have moved on to another nearby nest this year, MacLeod said it's entirely possible they may return to the Millennium Trail nest next year.

Bald eagles, she explained, have a nesting territory as opposed to simply claiming one as their own.

"It is very normal” to have a couple or even more nests in the territory that a pair of eagles claim in their territory. They may select one nest one year and move back to the other home the following year.

Exactly why eagles will have more than one nest isn't known.

"There's a lot of theories,” MacLeod said.

One idea is that a couple or three nests shows the eagles are claiming their territory; another theory is the second nest is a bit of an insurance policy in that they can move to the other nest if something happens to the one they are staying in.

Still another points to the nesting habits as a natural way of protecting their health.

As MacLeod pointed out, with the adult eagles bringing in food like dead fish and animals, there are a number of parasites that build up in the nest.

Nesting elsewhere the following season would allow time for the parasites to die off.

MacLeod also noted that sometimes when there's an eaglet that doesn't survive the season, the parents won't return to that nest. In the instance of these birds – believed to be the same ones which nested there last year – that would not be the case, as all three eaglets flew out of the nest last year.

It's believed the birds nesting nearby this year are the same pair which were in the Millennium Trail nest last year based on a number of distinctive markings – including a black spot on the female's head.

"It does appear to be the same pair,” MacLeod said, noting it's believed the male was part of a pair that was there since 2009.

It's believed that his previous mate died in 2012, and that last year, he took a new mate.

Eagles mate for life and in some cases live up to 30 years.

If a pair dies, she said, it's possible another set of eagles could take over their territory.

Like Carlson, MacLeod expects "there will be some disappointment” from many who were hoping to log on to watch Whitehorse's famous eagle family over the summer.

Given the winged wonders' territorial nature, it's unlikely the nest with the camera will be home to any other eagles this year.

Though it won't be quite the same as live footage, EDI will be keeping an eye on the more private nest and providing photos when the opportunity arises to Yukon Electrical to share on its site (http://www.yecleagles.com/).

Yukon Electrical is also planning to continue its efforts in bald eagle education with some summer viewing sessions in May and June.

"Thanks for all your support, and we are hopeful that the family decides to move back to camera nest for the 2015 season,” Yukon Electrical said in a statement.