The Eagle Has Hatched - First Chick Spotted In Eagle Cam Nest

News9.com

PAYNE COUNTY, Oklahoma -- The eagle has hatched! The pair of bald eagles on News9.com's Live Bald Eagle Cam has their first eaglet as of Sunday. Alert Eagle Cam fans spotted the hatchling overnight.

Viewers around the world watch the progress of America's national birds thanks to the Sutton Avian Center and News9.com.

The eagles worked on four nests in the area this year, finally deciding upon a nest in a dead cottonwood tree near Stillwater. The experts at the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville say they noticed the first egg on February 17 then saw the second and third egg a few days later. 

The female laid three eggs, so it is possible viewers will have up to three eaglets to follow this spring. Eagle eggs typically hatch a few days apart.

First Chick Hatched March 28

Last year the birds were successful in raising one fledgling out of three eggs.

The Eagle Cam can be seen 24/7 in the weather section of News9.com. Challenges arise each year as the natural world sometimes interferes with the technology that broadcasts the eagles' progress. One year beavers knocked the cameras off line by chewing through an underwater cable. One year lightning hit the tree and knocked the nest right out of it.

Dr. Steve Sherrod, the executive director of Sutton Avian Center, says providing the live eagle nest cameras requires an amazing mix of volunteers, donations and hard work. He urges everyone to be patient should the cameras go off line.

Viewers should be able to watch the birds feed and care for their young as the weeks go by.