Hays bald eagles debut second egg of the year
An industrious pair of bald eagles along the Monongahela River in the Hays neighborhood in Allegheny County have produced two eggs, and right on time.
Rachel Handel, communications director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said the female eagle laid her first egg on Friday and her second on Monday.
Anyone with access to a computer can observe the family of national emblems, as their sturdy abode high above East Carson Street is on camera, by special permission from the state Game Commission.
Handel said the pair has been nesting on the same hillside since 2013 in a number of different nests.
The female has produced eggs Feb. 12 through 14 each year since 2013.
“They are right on schedule,” Handel said.
She said the eggs hatch about 35 days after being laid.
While the eagles have produced three eggs in past years, Handel said the Hays birds may only lay two this year because of their age.
“They are kind of getting up there in age for a wild pair of eagles, and that is why it was exciting to see a pair of eggs this year,” she said.
On Monday, the male could be seen bringing large branches to bolster the nest, and the female was spotted still bringing in leaves to build an insulated area for the eggs, so they can remain at the required 99 degrees.
Handel said while bald eagles take turns sitting on the eggs, the mother in the Hays pair prefers to take most of the duty.
“Whoever is on the nest usually gets a food delivery from the other eagle,” she said.
She said because the Hays pair is still laying eggs, the Audubon Society presumes they were 5 or 6 years old — the age at which bald eagles begin to lay eggs — when they chose the Hays hillside for their home.
“It's a great luxury, being able to look into the nest with the cam,” Handel said.
The Hays bald eagle cam can be accessed at aswp.org/pages/hays-nest.
