The viral bald eagle couple, Bella and Scout, nesting in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, roughly 75 miles from Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), have laid a new clutch of eggs this year!
The clutch, which consists of two eggs this season, is the first new set of eggs to be hatched at the bald eagle couple’s new nest after their previous nest, which had been in use for decades, tragically collapsed during a sudden wind storm last spring.
When did Bella and Scout lay their new clutch of eggs this year?
Bella laid a total of three eggs this season.
- The first egg was laid on February 15th, but unfortunately, it broke the day after.
- The second egg was laid on February 18th.
- The third egg was laid on February 21st.
Of the three eggs, only two are being actively incubated by their mother, Bella, and father, Scout, as they take turns leaving the nest to hunt and stretch their wings.
When are the two bald eagle eggs supposed to hatch?
Bald eagle’s eggs typically require at least a 35 to 38-day incubation period before they are capable of hatching.
Following the 35-day expected incubation period, egg #2 should hatch around March 25th, which means that the pip (first signs of hatching) watch window is between March 24th and the 27th.
As for egg #3, a 35-day incubation would mean the expected hatch date of March 28th, which in turn means that the pip watch window is between March 27th and the 30th.
How to watch the bald eagle nest live
You can watch the live stream of the “upper” nest on the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service YouTube page!
Camera 1
From Camera 1, you can see a wide angle of the tree where Bella and Scout have their nest.
You can watch them fly in and out of frame as they take turns incubating their two eggs.
Camera 2
From Camera 2, you get a head-on view of the nest!
This camera is perfect for viewing either the bald eagles’ approach to the nest or watching them do their usual “shift changes” throughout the day as they take turns incubating the eggs.
Camera 3
Camera 3 offers the ideal bird-eye-view (no pun intended) of the nest!
It gives you the best possible view of the two incubating eggs whenever mom and dad take a shift change for who is staying at the nest and who goes out to hunt.