1st Hays eaglet of 2023 hatched Sunday afternoon

The first Pittsburgh eaglet of 2023 arrived just after noon on Sunday.

The Hays bald eagles welcomed the first of two expected eaglets for the season.

According to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, the Hays eagles laid two eggs this year — on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20.

Bald eagle eggs typically take between 35 and 38 days to hatch, the society said, which means the next eaglet is expected within a few days.

To care for the young, one of the adult eagles will stay on the nest constantly, as the eaglet remains underneath for warmth. The adults will also continue to incubate the other egg.

To feed the eaglet, the Audubon Society said, the adults will bring food to the nest, tearing the food into small pieces for their young to eat.

The Hays eagles are in their 11th breeding season, and their nest is located on a steep hillside above the Monongahela River near the Glenwood Bridge.

They have raised 18 eaglets in their time there.

Three times, the eagles have lost their nest, but each time they’ve rebuilt within 100 yards on the same hillside.

In 2022, the eagles had three eggs, and all three eaglets successfully left the nest.

Birders and eagle enthusiasts can watch the eagles — and the eggs — on the Hays Bald Eagle Cam through PixCams in Murrysville.

Last year, more than 2.4 million people streamed the nest.

Bald eagles, once endangered in the United States, continue to see increasing numbers.

There are an estimated 300 nesting pairs in Pennsylvania — up from just three in the early 1980s.

The story is the same across the country, with an estimated 71,400 nesting pairs and more than 316,000 birds.