U.S. Steel bald eagles’ first egg of the year hatches
Stella and Irvin — the bald eagle pair who call a nest at U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works’ Irvin plant home — welcomed their first eaglet of the year Sunday, March 29.
USS9, a name denoting it as the ninth eaglet born in the nest, is the first to hatch of three eggs laid by Stella this year, PixCams said. PixCams operates live video feeds of the nest with special permission from the state Game Commission.
According to PixCams, the pair welcomed their first egg on Feb. 20, second on Feb. 23 and third on Feb. 26.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, females usually lay one to three eggs per year, which take about 35 days to incubate before hatching. The eaglet will stay in the nest for about 12 weeks before adults begin to encourage flight.
Once the eaglets fledge — fly from the nest for the first time — they will spend about six weeks with the adults to continue learning to hunt and fish. They usually reach maturity by 5 years old.
The eagles can be watched through PixCams’ livestream at pixcams.com/uss-eagles.
