×

Powerful winds from storm destroy West Virginia eagle nest, killing eaglets

A screenshot of the NCTC EagleCam shows the mother eagle with three eaglets just moments before the nest collapsed during devastating winds on April 19. All three of the eaglets were killed when the nest fell approximately 90 feet to the ground. (Image Provided)

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Three eaglets hatched between March 20 and March 24 of this year, who have been under constant watch by bird lovers via the Eagle Cam at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), failed to survive a strong storm April 19.

NCTC has confirmed that all three of the eaglets perished when the nest collapsed at approximately 9:59 p.m.

Video footage of the nest with the mother and three eaglets, still too young to fly, showed them in the nest with the mother bird hunkering down when, in a moment, the nest was gone.

The winds came on so suddenly and so strong, “like a micro burst of some sort,” commented an Eagle Cam faithful watcher.

Randy Robinson, an outreach coordinator at NCTC, via the website chat said that he and a co-worker found all three eaglets under the tree where the nest had fallen approximately 90 feet.

“The strong winds blew the nest apart — it was scattered across the ground,” he said.

Unofficially, the unexpected but devastating winds reached approximately 75 mph, catching everyone by surprise.

The eaglets were hatched to father, “Scout,” and mother, “Belle,” after eggs were laid in February. Hundreds of individuals monitored their progress since their emergence in March.

Watching via the Eagle Cam has been a popular pastime since NCTC installed the camera in 2006. Each year excitement mounts as watchers wait to see if eggs will be laid and then if they will successfully hatch. This year, the three eaglets were all doing well prior to the onset of the storm. The nest inhabited by the eagle family has been in place since 2003 and, according to Robinson, has been a “productive nest.”

NCTC did take a proactive stance a few years ago and built a platform for the eagles to make use of should something happen to the original nest. It will remain to be seen as to whether the eagles will return next year and attempt to start another family.

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today