The first bald eagle egg of the year has been laid in the nest in the Hays neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania officials confirmed Tuesday.
Audubon communications director Rachel Handel said when the adult eagle stands up, it can be seen rolling the egg to keep it at a constant temperature.
“When this occurs, the egg is visible in the nest bowl,” she said via news release. “The adult then lays back down over the egg to continue incubation.”
At least one adult eagle will stay in the nest constantly, incubating the egg and never leaving it unattended through the process.
Handel said the span between egg laying is two to four days.
The Hays female laid two eggs last February. Both hatched and the eaglets fledged the nest.
There’s a new male in the nest this year to mate with the existing female.
Handel said the previous male, who had been paired with the female since at least 2013, disappeared last September.
Bald eagles live about 20 years in the wild, and it’s not unusual to lose one of the original breading pair.
Handel said eagles reach maturity and start to breed at around 5 years old.
The Audubon Society installed a new web camera this year with the help of an arborist from Davey Tree. It has increased the resolution, making for crisper images of the eagle family.
The Hays webcam is a collaborative project between PixCams and Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. This live video feed has been granted a Special Permit by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for educational purposes.
It is available all day, every day at aswp.org/pages/hays-nest.
