Bald eagle egg sighted at Iroquois NWR by nest camera

Photos courtesy of Pixcams.com: (Left) The red arrow points to the egg that was spotted overnight. (Right) Mother Eagle incubates the egg.

Press Release, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

BASOM – An egg has been sighted in one of the bald eagle nests 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.

At 1 a.m. Saturday, observers caught sight of the egg as the eagle parents switched places. 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 moderating the eagle camera chat.

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.