A resource of Biophilia: Pittsburgh, #bioPGH is a weekly blog and social media series that aims to encourage both children and adults to reconnect with nature and enjoy what each of our distinctive seasons has to offer. 

Well, friends, if you have been reading along with me since 2016, you know I love to see what Hays bald eagle nest camera is showing this time of year! The livestream of a bald eagle’s nest in Hays Woods, just off Carson St and across the river from Hazelwood. The nest camera has been in place for over decade now, and the nesting pair have become quite the celebrities, with viewers joining from all over the US and the rest of the world. The camera itself, a joint project between the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania (ASWP) and PixCam, an all-volunteer organization that manages education wildlife live cameras, provides a unique window into the wild world; and over the years, the story told from that window has been at times humorous, devastating, sobering and hopeful. Viewers have cheered on the eagles successfully defending their eggs from hungry racoons and mourned in other years when eggs weren’t viable. Overall, it has been a decade of unadulterated, authentic wild life.

Unfortunately, though, we won’t be watching for eggs or chicks from the Hays pair this year. Back in August, a storm knocked over the existing nest, and even though the pair seemed to show interest in rebuilding the nest in January and earlier this month, it just hasn’t happened yet. I wouldn’t be too worried, though. Nature’s drama is always full of twists and turns, but this nest has seen many years of eggs and chicks, as you can see below from our local Audubon chapter’s website. If you remember, in 2017, the nest was actually blown down after eggs had been laid, but the parents still managed to fledge a chick that year!

• 2024 First egg of 2024: February 20, Egg cracked and is not viable: March 19
• 2023 First egg: February 17; second egg: February 20. First hatch: March 26; second hatch: March 28.
• 2022 First egg: February 11, Second egg: February 14, Third egg: February 17. First hatch: March 21; second hatch: March 22; third hatch: March 25. Fledges: June 10 and June 16.
• 2021 First egg: February 12, Second egg: February 15, Third egg: February 19. First hatch: March 23; second hatch: March 23; Third hatch: March 27. Fledges: June 6, June 12, and June 23.
• 2020 First egg: February 13, Second egg: February 16. First hatch: March 21, second hatch: March 23.
• 2019 First egg: February 12, Second egg: February 15, Third egg: February 18. First hatch: March 23; second hatch: March 25 (one egg not viable). Fledges: June 11 and June 16.
• 2018 First egg: February 13; Second egg: February 15, Third egg: February 19. One egg cracked, not viable. First hatch: March 23. Fledge: June 11.
• 2017 First egg: February 20. Hatch: March 29. Fledge: June 15. 
• 2016 First egg: February 13; Second egg: February 16; Third egg: February 20. First hatch: March 21, Second hatch: March 22; Third egg not viable.
• 2015 First egg: February 17; Second egg: February 20. First egg broken: March 13. Second egg broken: March 27. Unsuccessful nesting season.
• 2014 First egg: February 19. Second egg: February 22. Third egg: February 25. First hatch: March 28. Second hatch: March 30. Third hatch: April 2. Fledge dates: June 20, 21, and 27.
• 2013 (no webcam) Incubating behavior by parents: March 11. Hatch behavior: April 14. Eaglet seen in the nest on May 13. Fledge: June 9.
  Quoted from http://www.aswp.org/pages/nest-info-by-year,

That kind of resilience, though, really is the famous hallmark of the species. In 1963, only 487 nesting pairs of bald eagles were left throughout the entire Lower 48 states. A century of hunting, persecution and detrimental pesticide use had crippled their populations from the thousands (more likely hundreds of thousands) into this small few scattered about the country. Yet when the situation seemed most dire, the tides began to turn. A series of legislative actions, including the ban of the pesticide DDT and the bald eagle’s addition to Endangered Species List, set the stage for game managers, biologists, and ornithologists all over the country to begin one of the US’s most dramatic and encouraging restoration stories. By 2007, the number of nesting pairs in the Lower 48 had reached nearly 10,000, and those numbers have increased every year. In Pennsylvania alone, there were only 25 nesting pairs in 1998; today, we have around 300!

But while we wait to see what happens with the Hays nest, but don't forget you can also tune into PixCams camera on the bald eagle nest by US Steel in West Mifflin. That pair currently has three eggs incubating!

And if you need to get your fill of eagle content, check out some footage from previous years!

Notice how Mom's eyes look cloudy here? I accidentally took a screenshot as she blinked her nictitating membrane, a clear extra eyelid that can either protect eyes or moisten eyeballs.

Mom checking the 2024 egg. 

All eagle photos and footage are from the Hays webcam. 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. Header photo is public domain.