Bald eagles lose 1st egg of 2017 after storm destroys their nest

PITTSBURGH — The tree that was home to the bald eagle nest in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood fell Sunday night as a storm with strong winds moved through the area.

It was noticed Sunday night that the tree was no longer visible from the view of a camera used by the

for live-streaming. Winds that gusted up to 60 mph knocked over the tree about 9:30 p.m.

“The female on the nest did realize something was happening. She was very alert when normally she would be sleeping,” said Rachel Handel, of the Audubon Society.

Handel said she initially feared the female bald eagle was injured when the tree fell, but both adult eagles were seen Monday flying above the site.

Audubon Society Executive Director Jim Bonner said he’s hopeful that the birds will nest again in the area.

The

Friday afternoon.

Bill Powers, CEO of PixController, a company that worked with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to install the camera four years ago, said one of the eagles was sitting on an egg in the nest when the winds toppled the tree.

The Audubon Society said in a statement Monday that the egg was lost when the tree fell, and the second egg, which is expected to be laid, will be expelled by the female and will not be incubated because there is no nest.

"We expect that the bald eagles will stay in the region and either begin to build a new nest, or perhaps take over an existing nest. The Harmar bald eagles’ nest is actually a nest constructed by red-tailed hawks. Bald eagles are resilient, and this is just a bump in the road for them. While we’ve been watching nests on cams for only a few years, the bald eagles have been facing the challenges of nature for much, much longer," the statement said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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