Wildlife watchers will be able to keep tabs on two Pennsylvania eagle nests this year.
Spotting an eagle in Pennsylvania is different than it once was.
And that’s a good thing.
There was a time when getting a glimpse of one in the wild was almost unheard of. Populations crashed for a variety of reasons, pollutants that made their eggs unviable chief among them.
But the birds have come back in a big way.
A survey done by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2015 found that, going into fall, there were 277 nests spread across 58 of the state’s 67 counties. That’s a new all-time high, besting 2014’s 273.
The commission expects there are more nests, too, so the figure is in all likelihood higher.
In 1983, when a seven-year effort to reintroduce the birds began with 12 eagles brought into the state from Saskatchewan, the state had just three eagle nests.
Anyone who finds a nest can report it to the commission at pgccomments@pa.gov, and use the words “Eagle Nest Information” in the subject field. Reports also can be phoned in to any commission office.
The agency is urging people to report nests because, even if they were previously known, to be sure none are overlooked.
In the meantime, bird lovers have two chances to see eagles on their bests, all from home.
The commission is streaming live video from an eagle nest in Hanover. It’s 75 feet up a tree near Codorus State Park. Birds have nested there for 10 years, and fledged young multiple times.
Viewers can see the camera feed here.
Closer to home, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is broadcasting streaming video of a pair of eagles nesting in Hays. It can be seen here.
The eagles there have been working on adding to an existing nest. Officials say any eggs laid will show up in February, then be incubated for 28 days.
