Second Eaglet Hatches In Oklahoma's Eagle Cam Nest

News9.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- A second eaglet has hatched on camera thanks to Bartlesville's Sutton Avian Research Center.

The second eaglet broke out of its shell on Tuesday, March 30th. There is video of the hatching on YouTube.

The pair of bald eagles welcomed its first eaglet on Sunday, March 28th. If the third egg is viable, it should hatch in the next couple of days.

People around the world are watching the progress of America's national birds thanks to the cameras installed at the nest by the Sutton Avian Research Center.

This year the eagles presented a real challenge for the Center in getting the nest on camera.

The pair worked on four nests in the area, finally settling on a nest in a dead cottonwood tree. It's located near the nest the eagles had used for the past several years, which was in a specially-constructed steel tower in Sooner Lake near Stillwater.

The Sutton Avian Research Center experts noticed the first egg on February 17 then saw the second and third egg a few days later.

Watch Video Of The First Sight Of The New Chick

Watch Video Of The First Sight Of The Second Chick

Last year only one of three eggs hatched, but the chick matured and grew strong enough to fly away from the nest.

The Eagle Cam runs on a 24/7 live feed. 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. Another year lightning hit the tree and knocked the nest right out of it.

Watch the Bald Eagle Nest Cam Live

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

Users should be able to watch the birds feed and care for their young as the weeks go by, and the eaglets should grow very quickly.