Experts: Eggs In Hays Eagles' Nest Could Hatch Any Day Now
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- There could be eaglets any day now at the bald eagles nest in the city's Hays section.
Experts keeping an eagle eye on the eagle cam say the first egg could hatch within the next three days.
The first egg was spotted in the nest back on the morning of Feb. 13. According to experts, the incubation period is usually around 35 days, so the first egg should hatch on or around Saturday, March 19.
The second egg could hatch on or around March 22, and the third is expected on March 26.
However, it is nature, and experts say the hatchings could be before or after those dates.
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Meantime, the eagle cam caught the mother eagle protecting her nest on Monday.
Experts say a sub-adult bald eagle took a swipe at her while she was sitting on the eggs. Watch the mother eagle defend her nest here:
According to Todd Katzner, Ph.D., a research wildlife biologist, "this is pretty typical behavior."
He says, "Nest defense is usually (but not always) sex-specific. So if the intruder was a female then the territorial female is usually the one to repel the invader. If the intruder is a male then the male would have done it.
"When there is competition for territories, young birds will test and poke and prod and do their best to take over a territory," Katzner said. "The best way for a young bird to know if a territory is good is if the current birds are doing well there. So why not find a territory that looks good with evidence of reproduction and make a stab at taking over."
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Last spring, the eggs in the Hays nest did not hatch. But in 2014, the eagle pair successfully welcomed three eaglets.
