The stars of the live-streaming eagle cam have made the first step in raising this year’s brood of bald eagle chicks in Decorah, Iowa. Three eggs have appeared in the nest, being kept warm in turn by mother and father.
Wired Science readers are again tuning in to watch the surprisingly addictive saga unfold. According to Wired reader momj, the third egg arrived on Feb. 24. The parents will incubate the eggs for just over a month, so keep an eye out for the hatchlings toward the end of March. In the meantime, the eagles will develop a bald spot around the breast or abdomen, an incubation patch, which is triggered by hormonal changes and helps keep the eggs closer and warmer. If you see an eagle shimmy while sitting on the eggs, it’s spreading the patch over the eggs to warm them.
The eggs will hatch in the same order that they were laid. The eaglets will poke the eggshell with their beaks, starting a hatching marathon that lasts between 12 and 48 hours. After the eggs hatch, the mother will take the lead tending to the young, while the father does most of the hunting. As the chicks grow a bit, the parents will trade off these roles more and more.
Eaglets typically stay in their nest for about three months while the parents feed and protect them from weather and predators. Near the end of this period, the eaglets will begin to flap their wings and hop out onto nearby branches as they get ready to fledge.
Last year, millions of people from 184 different countries watched as three eaglets grew. Wired readers formed their own eagle-watching community and collected over 4,400 comments as they watched the drama unfold, alternately reveling in the wonderfully caring relationship eagles have with their young and fearing for the welfare of the vulnerable babies as they weathered storms. Join us again this year!
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