UPDATE: A second eaglet has hatched, click here for more information.
UPDATE: 3rd eaglet now hatched, click here for more information.
A bald eagle nest in a Pittsburgh, Pa., neighborhood can be seen all over the world thanks to a live stream camera set up by PixController, Inc. and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. By Friday, one of the three eggs in the nest hatched and the others may hatch soon.
The nesting eagle laid her eggs on Feb. 19, Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, according to camera operator PixController, which hosts the live stream here. The sex of the newly hatched eaglet is unclear, as is which of the thee eggs hatched.
The bald eagle nest is located in the Hays neighborhood, about five miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River.
After the egg hatched, the nest's female eagle remained to incubate the other two eggs and keep the new eaglet warm with her body. The nest's male eagle brought fish to the nest, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which added that eagles enter into "extended partnerships" and stay with one another until something happens to one of them. The eagle couple fledged another eaglet in 2013, the Post-Gazette reported.
The male eagle will occasionally tend to the eggs when the female leaves the nest.
"Once all hatching is complete, the young will develop relatively quickly, especially in size," Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, told the Post-Gazette. "They will develop their second down around 10 days old. During the first few weeks one parent, usually the female, will always be at the nest."
The remaining eggs are expected to hatch within the next week, provided they are still viable. It's impossible for animal experts to asses whether the eggs are viable from the video feed.
The bald eagle eggs have proven to be an attraction not just for curious web users and Pittsburgh residents, but wildlife as well. According to an Associated Press report, the eagles have had to defend their next from a hawk and a raccoon that seemed intent on stealing the eggs.
The eagle webcam is a collaboration between PixController, Inc. and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The camera streams video over the Verizon 4G LTE cellular network and is powered by rechargeable solar batteries.
The video below shows the first eaglet hatching. Click here to see the live stream of the nest.