An egg has been confirmed in one of the bald eagle nests here at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
The Friends of Iroquois NWR observers whose camera is trained on the nest believe the female bald eagle laid her first egg at 5:05 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. That belief was based on behavioral cues like fluffing of feathers, standing up and sitting down, and reaching under to rotate the egg.
Red arrow points to the first glimpse we had of the egg, about 1 a.m. Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Pixcams Inc.)
At 1 a.m. Saturday, observers caught sight of the egg as the eagle parents switched places. The egg was been seen at least once more on camera over the weekend. Eagles typically lay 2-3 eggs and incubate them for about a month before hatching, so the Friends expect at least one more egg.
“Just because eggs are laid is no guarantee of hatching,” said Friends President Richard Moss of Medina. “Nature can be merciless, and all kinds of bad things can happen to prevent hatching. But this is definitely an exciting development.”
This year is the 250th anniversary of the United States, and the bald eagle has been seen as a symbol of the country for much of that time.
Moss wanted to send out thanks to Bill Powers and Pixcams Inc., out of Export, PA. Pixcams helped the Friends group set up the camera and has continued to provide logistical support. Moss also wanted to thank the Friends members who are and have been moderating the eagle camera chat, especially Friends Vice President Emma DeLeon and member Amy Merritt.
A link to the eagle nest camera is available at the Friends website, FINWR.org. Watching it should be very interesting for the next few months, Moss said.
One of the Friends’ Iroquois Observations! activities on Saturday, the Winter Bird Walk led by Andrea Heine, observed 16 bald eagles, some juveniles, at the Mohawk Pool. Three of the eagles were near two nests near the pool, and 13 were congregating in the middle of the pool near some trees.
One of the eagle parents incubating the egg on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Pixcams Inc.)
