Are you ready for a rare wildlife experience? How about an actual ‘bird’s eye view’ of a growing family of bald eagles–LIVE? Check out the streaming live video footage (above)from a bald eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa, courtesy of the Raptor Resource Project.
Watch as two eagle parents take turns at the nest, tending to the eggs and the newly hatched eaglets. Listen to the fluffy chicks pip, laugh at their wobbly antics, and smile as the female gently tucks them under her breast. Over the past week, over 22 million people have followed the Decorah eagle family eggstravaganza. On April 2, the first of three eggs hatched (see a collage of the first 24 hours), followed by number two the next day. The third egg is expected to hatch any day now. What a drama—life unfolding minute by minute in a tree 80 feet above the ground. As I write this, momma eagle sits patiently atop her brood. Every so often she stands up to check on them—that’s when you see the little fluffy heads poke out. I’m joined by 136,000 viewers, who like me, are curious about what happens in an eagle’s nest and want to experience that joy when the next egg hatches. What a rewarding and intimate glimpse into the life of an American icon.
Background on bald eagles
Four years ago, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List. The announcement marked a successful milestone in the species’ recovery from the brink of extinction. Today, illegal shooting of bald eagles is considered the biggest threat to their survival. Other threats include lead poisoning from eating ducks that have consumed lead shot, power line electrocution and habitat loss.
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