Eagle Cam
Link to the webcam at the Hays nest by Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania:
http://www.aswp.org/pages/hays-nest
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Updated 15 minutes ago
Both Hays bald eagles were seen circling the hillside early Monday morning where their aerie once was, according to Rachel Handel, spokeswoman for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
The birds got out alive after high winds toppled their nest tree, an estimated 75-foot-high hackberry, just before 10 p.m. Sunday. The robust tree seemed unlikely to go down, according to Bill Powers, CEO of PixController who has installed a webcam at the site for the last four eagle nesting season.
“The only detriment to the site was that the tree sat in the middle of a shelf and run-off could have saturated the soil there,” he theorized.
Nature photographer Dana Nesiti, 54, of West Homestead, arrived at the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, below the nest site, looking for the birds Monday before dawn. “They usually don't fly until after daylight but it was still dark and both were flying around squawking,” he said.
Nesiti got unconfirmed reports later in the morning that the male eagle had been seen carrying sticks and dropping them near the site of the downed nest tree.
The female is expected to lay a second egg in the next day but it's not expected to survive as there is no nest for incubation.
The birds are expected to build another nest in the area since they have claimed the territory as their own for the last five years, according to Handel.
Patricia Barber, endangered species biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said, “There is no reason for the adults to leave. Other than the tree they lost, all the other reasons they picked that area to nest are still there. Assuming there's another tree they like, they may be working on a new nest soon.”
But there likely is not enough time for them to build another nest and lay eggs this season, that is unless they take over another nest, according to Jim Bonner, executive director of Audubon's local chapter.
The Harmar eagles' nest above Route 28 was wrested away from a pair of red-tailed hawk that put up a fight four years ago, when there was frequent aerial jousting between the raptors. The eagles obviously won. Those birds are expected to have their first egg in the next two to three weeks, according to Handel.
One Hays eagle fan, considering the prospects of the newly homeless eagle couple in the Hays wooded river valley, commented on Facebook: “Hawks all over the hillside are busy packing.”
This is a hardy couple who lost a nest before when high winds took the first tree in Hays they nested in five years ago. They rebuilt on a nearby hillside and successfully raised three eaglets the following year.
Regardless of the optimistic probability of future nesting, eagle fans are disappointed.
“I'm devastated,” said Annette Devinney, 57, of Penn Hills, who is an amateur wildlife photographer and organizer of the Ha ys Eagle Lovers social group with 200-plus members.
“The season is a wash,” she said. “I will miss the camaraderie, the trail parties and chat room.”
PixController would like to cam the next nest site in Hays if possible, according to Powers. But there are many variables such as possible camera angles, access, and consent of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Audubon Society.
“There are talented people who would volunteer their time to help move the cam elsewhere,” he said. “We'll have to play it by ear.”
Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at mthomas@tribweb.com.
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