Livestreamed Hays eagle nest collapses during storm
A popular internet attraction was damaged during a major storm on Tuesday night, Aug. 6, when the bald eagle nest at Hays Woods — the subject of a continuous “bald eagle cam” livestream — partially collapsed.
Viewers of the livestream witnessed the collapse at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday night.
According to PixCams, which operates the livestream, this marks the fourth time in about a decade that a bald eagle nest collapsed at the same location at the Hays Woods park in Pittsburgh, and the third time since the livestream began in late 2013. Before this week, the most recent occurrence was in the winter of 2018.
Even before Tuesday night’s heavy storm, the nest — which could weigh a ton due to the accumulated materials — had shown signs of partial collapse.
“We noticed, maybe a couple of months ago, that part of it didn't seem as stable,” said Rachel Handel, communications director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. “So it's not entirely surprising that the nest did collapse.”
Neither one of the breeding bald eagles was present when the nest collapsed, as breeding season had already ended. This breeding season ended in failure for the eagle couple, as the one egg they laid in March was “unviable” due to cracking.
However, the female of the couple reappeared at the nest site on Wednesday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m.
The question now, for both PixCams and the Audubon Society, is where and when the eagles will rebuild. If they choose to build their next nest at a different site, PixCams will have to move their camera for next year — a delicate process.
“There's a big process involved in (moving the camera),” Handel said. “That hill is very, very difficult to traverse. So we just have to really wait and see where they’re going to choose to rebuild.”
Handel said the timing of the nest collapse worked out for the best, as it allows the eagle pair plenty of time to build a new one in time for the next breeding season.
“They typically start their courtship in late fall, and nest building is actually part of that courtship,” Handel said. “Eggs are laid in February, so as long as there is a nest available to use by February, then they’ll be OK.”
The time it takes for eagles to build a nest can vary. However, according to Handel, there was one instance where the Hays eagles put together a working nest in only four days back in 2017. Their previous nest had just collapsed during a violent windstorm.
“The urgency was there because the female was laying eggs,” Handel said. “This time it was in February, so it was a very important time for them to be able to reproduce.”
Although the nest is ruined, the livestream is still viewable on YouTube for those who are curious about how and when the eagles will rebuild.
