The "Eaglets Have Arrived!" Story

Adult Bald Eagle sitting on the nest.  This was taken from the
Eagle Cam yesterday.  The quality is not perfect, but you can
still see the nest.  Click on photos to enlarge them.

It was an ordinary day.  Watching the Pennsyl- vania Game Commiss- ion's Eagle Cam located near Codorus State Park in York, Pennsyl- vania.  The second of two eggs has just hatched.  It was back on the second of March that I wrote a story and posted it on my blog telling about the two eggs that were in the huge nest of Liberty and Freedom, the two Bald Eagles that have called York County home this year. The first egg appeared on February 14 at 4:44 PM with the second arriving three days after the first.  The incubation period is approximately 35 days and the watch began to see when the eggs would hatch.  Bald Eagles have been calling this part of Pennsylvania home since 2005.  Since that date eaglets have fledged seven times.  The Eagle Cam that I have been watching daily was installed in December of 2014.  The camera is about the size of a soda can and causes no motion which would scare the eagles and cause them to vacate their nest.  Our local cable provider has been providing the internet service for the camera.  People from all over the world have tuned into http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1592549&mode=2 to watch the activity associated with the nest.  

Here the adult is spreading it's wings with
the furry eaglet beneath it.

When I tuned in yesterday I found that the site was down.  Found out shortly later on our local TV station that the Eagle Cam had too many hits and it knocked out service for a short time.  In the afternoon I was able to tune in once again and see the nesting eagle (both the male and female look alike) rise from the nest and expose the newly hatched eaglet.  I snapped away with my camera at my computer screen and was able to get a few shots to share with you.  The adult eagle lifted it's wings as if to fly, but remained on the nest.  Around the edge of the nest could be seen parts of a few fish which were the recent remains of a meal for the nesting adults.  Today the news on TV was of the hatching of the second egg.  The parents will begin to bring little bits of meat and place it into the eaglets mouth.  

Here the gray eaglet looks to be saying something to
it's parent.  The other egg is still unhatched in the photo
and is beneath the adult Eagle.

You can watch that if you tune into the link I listed.  The eaglets are voracious eaters and it will take both parents to feed the pair.  It takes about 65 to 75 days before the eaglets are strong enough to take flight.  Since there are two eaglets, they will compete for the food that is brought to the nest.  Usually, if there is a few days between hatchings, the older eaglet will get more food since it will be larger.  This could cause the youngest eaglet to die or be eaten by the other eaglet.  These two are only one day apart and hopefully will both survive.  This is still a dangerous time for the hatchlings since one may fall to the ground or a predator may invade an unprotected nest and eat the eaglet.  The two eaglets are scheduled to take flight sometime in late June or early July and you can bet I'll be watching to see that event.  Maybe you will also!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.