The bald eagles of Hays aren't passing out cigars following the hatching of all three of the eggs laid in 2022. A larger celebration is warranted to mark the 10 years since they took up residence on a steep hillside overlooking the Monongahela River.
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania reported that the parents’ 16th eaglet popped through its shell just after 8 a.m. Monday, 37 days after the egg was laid Feb. 11.
Eaglets numbers 17 and 18 arrived Tuesday and Friday. There are now three eaglets in the nest.
Audubon spokeswoman Rachel Handel had said Monday morning that one of the then two remaining eggs showed signs of pipping, or evidence of pecking from inside the egg, so that eaglet’s hatching was likely imminent.
The live feed at the Audubon chapter’s website is a collaborative project of Audubon and PixCams, licensed for educational purposes by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
In 2010, the discovery of the first eagles nest in decades, located in Crescent, was considered an ecological milestone. The number of active eagle nests in Pennsylvania had grown from three in 1980 to 150.
On a steep hillside overlooking the Monongahela River in Hays, the nest in 2013 made international news when the bobbing heads of gawky eaglets peered over the rim in spring, clearly visible to bicyclists on the Great Allegheny Passage trail. For a changing town still known worldwide as the “smoky city,” the eagles were seen as evidence that Pittsburgh had cleaned up its act.
“Their overall nesting success is a testament to the lengths that Pittsburgh and surrounding areas have gone to in order to clean up our region’s air and waterways,” said Ms. Handel. “The birds stay in this location because they have easy access to the river and abundant fish to feed both themselves and their eaglets.
“The webcam has given us some interesting insights into eagles over the years,” said Ms. Handel. “On average, bald eagles lay two eggs each season. This particular pair has laid three eggs six times over the years. We wouldn’t know that there are three eggs in the nest without a webcam. We also get to see just how much food is brought into the nest, everything from fish to small mammals and birds.”
The Hays parents have showcased their species’ innate abilities, innovative problem-solving, territorial resilience and inspiring parenting skills. They’ve recovered three times following nest destruction disasters, had just one unsuccessful year when no eggs hatched and have never lost an offspring to repeated predator attacks.
“Twice before, we’ve seen all three eggs hatch and three eaglets fledge the nest, most recently in 2021,” said Ms, Handel.
Now that the three eggs have hatched, even more food will be required to support the growing family, she said. The adults will bring food to the nest, tear it into small pieces, lean over and feed it to the eaglets. An adult will stay on the nest constantly to incubate the remaining egg, with the just-hatched eaglets remaining beneath the adult for warmth.
In another nest overlooking the Monongahela River at the U.S. Steel Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, bald eagles continue incubating eggs laid Feb. 27 and March 3. Take a nest-cam look inside.
Without cameras, it’s difficult to know what’s going on inside the other Allegheny County bald eagle nests in Crescent and Harmar. A site at North Park has not been reclaimed since the female was killed last year in a highway collision.
First Published: March 25, 2022, 4:18 p.m.
