View Full Version : Bald eagles nesting in Pittsburgh.
https://www.csecorporation.com/Pittsburgh-Hays-Bald-Eagle-Cam
They have 2 eaglets in the current nest and have raised and fledged 8 previously. First nesting pair within the city limits in 250 years. The nest is on a hill side along the Monongahela River near a busy road and RR track. Doesn’t seem to bother them. The river provides most of the food.
Wow that is so nice i live on the Delaware River and we have nests along the river i use my spotting scope to watch them and take pictures just last week one big one came down and grabbed a big trout right in front of me took it back to the nest couldn't get a picture beautiful bird
Thanks for posting. Residents will have something new to observe now.
I think we have eagles here too along the gulf coast. The nest look similar or the same but it is said that many of the sightings here of the birds are actually osprey's which aren't quite as large. Of course the bald eagle is an unmistakable creature.
It’s been interesting to watch our eagles. The nest is probably less than 2 miles from my house. They have only raised and fledged a full brood of 3 eaglets once. One egg always seems to non-viable for some reason. Their nest fell out of the tree one year and they raised one chick on the ground. The entire tree fell over a few years ago just before the female was due to start laying eggs. They had to find a new nesting site in a hurry which is their current one.
Interesting behavior - they don’t expell the unviable egg from the nest. The male often bring new nesting material to the nest and unviable egg just ends up getting buried. The male brought a plastic garbage bag to the nest on 3/29 that had everyone worried but I don’t see it now. The rivers that used to be barren due to industrial pollution now have 76 species of fish for them to hunt. While fish make up the majority of the diet, the male has also brought gulls, pigeons, squirrels, rabbits, rats, snakes and cats to the nest.
the male has also brought gulls, pigeons, squirrels, rabbits, rats, snakes and cats to the nest.
People in your area need to be alerted about the eagles having the capability of catching, killing and flying off with their cats, small dogs and poultry.
People in your area need to be alerted about the eagles having the capability of catching, killing and flying off with their cats, small dogs and poultry.
They can take any animal that weighs up to about 10 pounds. Red tail hawks are common around here and have similar habits and capabilities.
People in your area need to be alerted about the eagles having the capability of catching, killing and flying off with their cats, small dogs and poultry.
True.
Right before hurricane Harvey our daughter was out in her back yard with her big Siamese "Tubby" and an immature bald eagle snatched the cat out of her back yard right in front of her. A bald eagle nest here in North Houston fell out of a tree a couple of years ago and it had the collars of several small dogs in it.
A bald eagle can exceed 14 pounds in weight so animals up to 9-10 pounds are at a definite risk of being killed and carried off. Eagles can kill larger animals but in those cases usually eat them on the spot. Red tail hawks never exceed four pounds (though they look bigger) and are mostly rodent feeders but kittens, chicks and small breed adult chickens are definitely at risk with them. Our daughter got a kitten she named "Surley," replacement player for tubby. She looked out her kitchen window one day and saw a magnificent male red tail hawk on one of the fence posts in her back yard. She immediately made sure Surley was safe inside.
It is important to remember that killing any bird of prey today is a serious crime that can result in very hefty fines and possible jail time. Some protected animals (not endangered) can be killed if they are a big enough nuisance as long as they are not used (skinned, eaten etc.) Birds of prey cannot be killed for any reason. Birds have a great lobby.
Food is a big issue. New York City had a resident population of peregrin falcons in the 1970s when the whole city was highly polluted - the reason- the millions of pigeons that live in the city. Food matters.
We have Peregrine Falcons nesting on the tops of tall buildings.
Vern Humphrey
04-10-2019, 09:16
We've got bald eagles here in Arkansas like you wouldn't believe -- I saw a 2-year old in a tree in my pasture a couple of months ago.
The Hays eaglets are really getting big. We’re starting to see black feathers.
Amazing bird and very strong this one grabs a goat and won't let go tumble down the mountain all the way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WroMlDqTRs
Why is the Op talking about Bernie sanders, has been known as a bald eagle.
JOHN COOK
04-20-2019, 05:46
Why is the Op talking about Bernie sanders, has been known as a bald eagle.
Just what are you talking about ??? Into the sauce this early ???
john in SC
Amazingly strong & determined bird. Thanks for posting.
The parents now leave the eaglets alone in the nest while they hunt. The nest is becoming lined with fish skins. The Mon has been an excellent source of food. The river that was nearly dead is now home to 76 species of fish.
The eaglets are now about 7 weeks old and are nearly as big as their parents.
The nest gets crowded when both parents and both eaglets are in the nest at the same time. One of the parents brought a large fish to the nest.
Jiminvirginia
05-17-2019, 07:49
Do they eat cats?
Do they eat cats?
The male brought a small black and white cat to the nest several years ago. It may have been a road kill but there’s no way to know for sure. Sure kept them busy all day. They killed a gull a few years ago and had white feathers all over them, the nest and the eaglets. We’ve also seen rats, squirrels, rabbits and nearly anything that they can pick up and fly with. Their most common prey however, is fish from the river. It’s hard to identify the species of fish, but one they caught last year was probably a small paddle fish which was driven out of the rivers several generations ago by industrial pollution.
If you’re lucky enough to watch the parents feed the eaglets, you’ll see that, at this stage of their development, fish are brought to the nest and torn into small pieces and left on the floor of the nest by the parents for the eaglets to find. In another week or so, the parents will just bring fish to the nest and allow the eaglets to tear them apart. Fledging is still a few weeks away. These are great parents.
Looks like the male has assumed all feeding duties. I haven’t seen the female in the nest in quite some time. If you do see them both in the nest together, the male is slightly smaller than the female and his head feathers are smoother. She did a fine job early on when the eaglets were very small and now it’s his turn to get them ready for the rest of their lives. Sound familiar?
The male regularly catches a few fish a day. The eaglets are well fed and are now as large as the male and probably won’t be in the nest too much longer.
Both eaglets are now perched on the tree limbs. Both may leave within the next few days.
So, now one of the eaglets is flying off and bringing fish back to the nest. Haven’t seen the adults.
Empty nest. Good luck, good hunting. Hope dad shows them where the best fishing spots are located. The Mon is an amazing river.
If you browse through the several hours of stored video, you might catch one of the eaglets returning to the nest to either eat the food they’ve caught or to call out to the adults. They are still a little clumsy and might crash land into the nest. They’ll figure it out eventually. The adults will allow them to hang around for a while longer but won’t feed them and will eventually drive them away.
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