I got this update today from the MN DNR.

I signed up for e-mail updates on this nest. I got one today! The eagles are back and their first egg was laid on Valentine's Day. I hope this works out for them this year. Last year the eggs got laid too early and probably froze. None of them hatched and finally broke apart. But they didn't give up til the last egg was gone.

http://www.webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/eagle/


You are subscribed to News - WebCam - Eagle Cam for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Hi Eagle Lovers!!

Welcome to the 2014 season of bald eagle nesting @ Minnesota DNR! Minnesota DNR's Nongame eagle camera is now LIVE!!

We are all so excited about the eagle cam this year! We are pretty sure it is the same pair of eagles that is back on the nest and laying eggs. They laid their first egg on Valentine's Day at 3:00 and have laid at least one more since then. Watch them here: EAGLE CAM LIVE.

Only two eggs are easily seen, but we have suspicion that there might be three eggs there. Whether there are two or three, we are very happy that: 1) they waited a little longer to begin laying eggs and 2) The nest is much deeper than it was last year. Remember how flat the nest looked last year? When the birds were off of the nest, the eggs looked so exposed to the elements! This year, the parents brought in much more nesting material that is soft and insular. The nest is deep and they are taking care to keep the eggs very warm. Hopefully, they learned from last year and won't let the eggs freeze.

We have different camera equipment operations and live feed this year, in order to bring a more stable, constant image to view. The camera itself has not changed, so there will still not be sound or infra-red for night-time viewing, but day time viewing should be very good!

Thank you to all who made generous donations to the Nongame Wildlife program last year! Your donations are helping us fund this project as well as many other projects, benefiting Minnesota's Nongame Wildlife. To see all Minnesota's Nongame projects, visit us online here.

We will update this page as needed, and every Friday for sure. Welcome back, and lets all hope for a successful hatch for our pair this year!! :)
________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us
STAY CONNECTED:

The local BlueJay was invited to lunch today.

There are 3 eggs!!! This is the weekly update that Minnesota DNR promised.




You are subscribed to News - WebCam - Eagle Cam for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Hi Eagle Lovers!

Happy Friday! Lots has happened in the last two weeks. Exactly two weeks ago today, The first egg was laid. Within the next three days, two more eggs were laid, for a total of three. This pair laid three eggs last year as well, except that they were all laid in the first week of January. Last January was just about as cold as it has been this year. We are cautiously optimistic that the birds have a better chance of hatching this year for two important reasons: 1. The nest is built better this year. It has more grass and is MUCH deeper than last year's nest and 2). The parents are much more diligent than they had been last year.
Of course we cannot see the nest at night, but to our knowledge, the birds have not left the nest for more than one minute. The only lift off of the eggs to rotate them and to switch incubators. Both of them seem to be very dedicated to making this nest successful this year! We certainly hope that this means they learned something from last year. Assuming, of course, that this is the same pair of birds. While we are relatively confident that these are the same birds, we really don't know for sure. Especially with the unbanded bird. We have some numbers that we read on the banded bird last year, but we have not gotten a good view of the band this year to compare numbers. If we do, we will for sure let you know!
I will continue to send out these updates on Fridays and will send this message to our Update page on the MNDNR website. The BIG difference between last year and this year with us is that we have a FACEBOOK page! Our fans and staff are constantly talking about our celebrity eagles, so please, go to the page and "like" it to receive even more news and photos about the eagles! Check it out here: Nongame Facebook page.
The big question this week: Will the eggs survive the cold? A: We really don't have anyway of knowing how warm those eggs are. The camera is so new and this experience is only two years old. We do know that they can freeze if not properly incubated, because that is likely what happened last year. But, will a differently shaped nest keep them warmer and therefore more likely to hatch? We hope so!! Only time will tell.
Meanwhile if you have questions, post them on facebook! We will answer them there, or here. We hope you are enjoying the eagle cam as much as we are and have an excellent weekend! Send the birds your warm thoughts!
________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us
STAY CONNECTED:

This week's update!!

3-14-14..PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)


You are subscribed to News - WebCam - Eagle Cam for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Hi Eagles Lovers!!

We hope that you are all enjoying the warmer weather that we have been having. We know our beloved eagles are!! You can almost see the relief and determination on their faces as they prepare for hatching.
This week has been technically challenging for us here at eagle central. We are constantly making tweaks and improvements for visual, speed and streaming quality. While the system is still not perfect, we feel it is still far better than it was last year. Please bear with us as we continue to resolve issues with the camera and video feed.
With all of the snow now gone from the nest, mom and dad continue to bring grasses in and re-arrange the nesting materials and the eggs. They constantly turn and rotate the eggs to keep them developing and viable. We've been asked if we think the eggs will hatch this year? It is impossible for us to predict. All we know is what you know for sure. The birds seem to be much more attentive and determined this year with their incubation behavior. The nest is deeper and seems to be insulated much more than it was last year.
As many of you know, the eggs did not hatch last year. There were several factors in 2013: they laid their eggs in the first week of January while it was very cold out. The parents left the nest for periods of time that were probably far too long for the eggs to have been kept warm. Particularly on one day in early February when both of them were gone for more than 20 minutes when the outside temperature was well below zero. Unfortunately, the birds incubated for a very long time, until all three eggs eventually broke, empty.
We are far more optimistic this year. The first egg was laid on February 14th, more than a month later than last year and much closer to the typical Minnesota eagle nesting period. The incubation period for American Bald Eagles is about thirty-five days. Thirty-five days from February 14 is March 21. We would expect to see the eggs hatch sometime between March 21st and March 25th. We are all very excited about the possibility of three eaglets on camera this year! We hope you are, too!
Enjoy your weekend, check in on the nest and maybe the birds will decorate their home with some green for St. Patrick's Day!! :)



________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us
STAY CONNECTED:

There is snow on this nest again. It's 2 days til we start watching for an eagle egg hatch. I hope this snow is gone by then so we can see the little white bobblehead.

More snow.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Things are looking up!!

You are subscribed to News - WebCam - Eagle Cam for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Hi Eagle Lovers!
Today's the big day! It was thirty-five days ago today that the first of three eggs was laid. The average incubation time for American Bald Eagles is 35 days. AVERAGE. So, we are expecting hatch any time now. We have not seen a pip (hole in the shell) or crack in any of the eggs. There seems to be a bit of high energy in the nest today. The female seems more agitated than usual, much like she was each time she laid an egg. Her pupils are enlarged, suggesting heightened arousal. Does that mean she can hear chicks peeping in the eggs? Maybe. Does she feel movement in the eggs? Maybe! We certainly don't want to get overly confident about this clutch, but it would sure be nice if they did hatch this year, right?!!
Other than some snow this week and some stick rearranging, the biggest news is the camera and feed. Without going into a lot of technical details, suffice it to say, this is still a technical work in progress. We are constantly working on the quality of the camera and feed, and like we said last week, please bear with us as we work out kinks in the process.
We will be watching as much as possible over the weekend and will send out an update if we see a hatch. Keep your fingers crossed everyone! Have a great weekend and enjoy your eagle viewing. Don't forget to visit our facebook page for more frequent updates and to make sure you are seeing these updates - make sure you "like" the page and spread the word to friends and family and even your classrooms. Like, like, like us! :) And as always, if you can afford a donation, please consider a tax-deductible amount that would help us with projects such as this. We still hope to purchase additional cameras for other nests and to maintain and upgrade this one. We sincerely appreciate your support - please help keep us going!
Thank you and have a great weekend!
________________________________________

Yippeee!! I saw a Pip! The cam operator was there and ready for the eagle to move away from the eggs. This is most definitely a hole in this egg!!

Pip hole.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

There's a most adorable little hatchling today. The temperature is in the teens so Mom and Dad are keeping this lil one covered up a lot. I haven't seen another pip but there was a quick minute glimpse of the new little addition to this family of Beautiful Bald Eagles. Waytago DNR Eagles.
Eye twinkle.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Chilly day today.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

This is one of little e's first meals. I don't know how much s/he got inside the little body, but we can see s/he was wearing it too. Seems they like their steak rare!

Time to eat lil one.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Rare meat.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Wear it.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Before food, there was a pip check.

I got an early update this week!

Good afternoon, Eagle fans!
What an exciting week we have had in the eagle's nest!! On Sunday the 23rd, we saw the first pip (small hole in the egg). On Monday, the hole got a little bigger and we could see the chick moving around inside of the egg. By early Tuesday morning there was a chick!! Yesterday, as the parents were teaching the young one to accept food, we could see the second egg with a pip. This morning, the second egg hatched! With the cold weather, we have not gotten a good look at the second one, since mom and dad are keeping their little family very warm. We are so grateful that they learned to become good parents.
There is plenty of food in the nest. Several fish and at least one pigeon. Many people were concerned that one of the chicks had died, but that was just yesterday's lunch! The adult eagles have been bringing in several Minnesota species: rabbits, squirrels, catfish, pigeons, and ducks. Feeding time for the little ones is very messy. Their first couple of meals are very liquid-y, much like the lining of the egg that they first live from. As the chicks get bigger, the parents incorporate more and larger pieces of meat from the carcass. Soon, as they watch and learn from their parents, they will begin picking their own meat off of the carcass.
We are so glad that you are all enjoying our eagle cam and Facebook sites so much. We are so pleased that some of you have found it in your hearts (and wallets) to translate that into donations that will help ensure that we can continue to bring you stories and products you love. Just in the last few weeks we have been floored by the generosity of some new donors. Donations of $250 and $500 have been received at eagle cam central! With our matching dollars these two donors generosity translates into $1500.00 more dollars for wildlife in Minnesota!
Here are some examples of what this money might fund: 30 more months of eagle cam streaming video, approximately one whole week of rare wildlife surveys and monitoring initiatives contributing to the conservation of as diverse an array of species as: Loons, Salamanders, Bats, Butterflies, or even rare mice species! This money could mean more educational events, webcams, citizen science initiatives or just good old biologist availability to answer the hundreds of public questions our program receives per week! In our desperate funding times right now donations like this can mean the difference between services provided as usual and vast reductions in the nongame wildlife program. Thank you to those who have already been so generous and a challenge to those who haven’t taken the leap yet to help support the program that you (and we!) love!

Now, we watch and wait for the third egg to hatch. That is absolutely priceless!! We will update again soon!
Nuzzling.PNG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)