W&M Biologists Watch, Wait for Third Bald Eagle Egg to Hatch

By WYDaily Staff Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Scientists with the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary had a little excitement Tuesday while moderating a chat about activity at the Norfolk Botanical Garden's bald eagle nest.

The nest has a camera trained on it to offer web viewers, along with scientists who study the birds, a close-up glimpse at the bald eagle pair's daily habits. This time of year, that usually includes tending to eggs.

On Tuesday, camera viewers had already seen one eaglet head pop above the nest but just after noon saw two heads bobbing for food.

“The eggs produced by the Norfolk Botanical Garden eagle pair in prior years have consistently hatched about two days apart," said Reese Lukei, from W&M's Center for Conservation Biology. "This is once again what has happened with the appearance of the second eaglet in the nest" shortly after noon Tuesday.

The third eagle egg is predicted to hatch by the end of the week.

WVEC.com hosts the video feed and posts slideshows of the daily activity at the nest.

Wildlife biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the CCB maintain blogs (click here to read W&M's blog) that explain the activity at the nest and provide insight into bald eagle biology and conservation. Eagle enthusiasts can also take the trip to the Norfolk Botanical Garden and view the eagles.

Click here to view the Eagle Cam and stay up-to-date on the latest information from Norfolk Botanical Garden by hitting the ‘Like’ button on the ‘Eagles at Norfolk Botanical Garden’ Facebook page.