Watch CBS News

Second Bald Eagle Egg Hatches In Northern Michigan

BEULAH, Mich. (WWJ) – We have another birth announcement to tell you about -- a second bald eagle egg has hatched at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery in northern Michigan.

The little guy, or girl, hatched sometime overnight Tuesday, about 24 hours after its sibling.

[VIDEO: It's A Boy….Maybe! 1 Of 2 Bald Eagle Eggs Hatches In Northern Michigan]

The eaglets will now spend 10 to 12 weeks in the nest before facing the world on their own.

"It's creating a huge amount of interest," Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager, told WWJ's Beth Fisher. "We're getting many phone calls and lots of people stopping by the actually lay eyes on the nest, you can certainly see it and we encourage people to visit the hatchery."

Eisch said the parent eagles have been using the same nest for the past few years, so they set up a camera to capture their every moment. Since 2012, the pair has successfully fledged one eaglet each year.

"The nest is probably 85 or 100 feet off the ground and the camera sits about probably 8 or 10 feet above that," he said.

The eggs were laid March 12 and 15. Incubation typically takes 30 to 35 days, with the mother and father eagles rolling the eggs and rotating nesting duties to keep them warm.

The eagle cam will continue to stream throughout the summer while the eaglets grow.

"At one point, this is just a snapshot in time, but there was over 1,000 people online viewing it," said Eisch.

To watch the live eagle cam, click here.

Viewers should be advised that as awesome as nature is, it can also be harsh. It is entirely possible that unpleasant events and natural circumstances (predation, disease, etc.) could happen in this active nest. If such events occur, no human intervention by the DNR or any other agency will occur.

"You never know what's going to happen. We did have, I think it was two years ago, there were two eaglets in the nest and one fledged successfully and the other one was actually found down below the nest on the ground," said Eisch. "It was alive when it was found but it had a growth on its beak and it had sort of grown over one of the eyes as well. That bird eventually had to be euthanized. There's things that happen in nature that aren't necessarily real pleasant. Nature isn't always warm and fuzzy."

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.