Eaglets killed when 75-mph windstorm knocks bald eagle nest out of tree
The group of eagles was highly watched and loved via “eagle cams" on a 24/7 livestream but their nest was blown off its perch 90 feet high when a sudden windstorm tore through the area.
Video from April shows bald eagles feeding baby eaglets
The three eaglets were killed over the weekend when a sudden windstorm knocked the 22-year-old nest out of its tree. The National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia said winds reached 75 mph that night.
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.– Three baby bald eagles were killed over the weekend when their nest was blown out of a tree during a sudden windstorm.
The eaglets were hatched in March and lived in a nest atop a sycamore tree at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.
The nest was 22 years old and located about 90 feet in the air, according to the NCTC.
"The day was peaceful," said Randy Robinson, NCTC outreach coordinator. "We didn't have any rain or hail."
But thunderstorms Saturday night triggered severe wind gusts in the region ranging from 60-80 mph. An anemometer in nearby Hagerstown, Maryland reported a gust of 75 mph right at 10 p.m. The eaglets didn’t survive the fall from the tree.
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In this video, Bald Eagles Jackie and Shadow welcome their second chick this year in Big Bear Valley, California. (Courtesy: Friends of Big Bear Valley)
The nest was "pretty much obliterated," Robinson said.
The group of eagles is highly watched and loved via "eagle cams" or 24/7 U.S Fish & Wildlife livestreams of the eagle nests.
Robinson said the 4-week-old eaglets weren't ready to fly. Typically, he said, eagles don't learn to fly until 12 weeks old.
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The three eaglets all together in the old nest on April 19 before their deaths.
(U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center NCTC Eaglecam / FOX Weather)
The NCTC said the two adult eagles who lived in the nest, known affectionately by eagle cam watchers as Bella and Scout, seemed to be well and have been seen flying around and perching in the nest tree since the incident.
Last fall, the center said the two adult bald eagles had built a new nest in the same tree, 15 feet below the original one.
It's hoped that the eagles will lay eggs in the new nest and will use it to raise their young next season.
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Bella and Scout stand in the new nest after losing their eaglets over the weekend.
(U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center NCTC Eaglecam / FOX Weather)
The NCTC said the newer nest is in a much stronger part of the sycamore tree and had minimal damage after the windstorm.
"We extend condolences to everyone who enjoyed daily visits to the NCTC Eaglecam and many thanks for all the kind words of support," the training center said in a Facebook post.
The original nest was built in 2003 by a different bald eagle pair, the training center said. The first eggs were laid in the nest in 2004, and the first eagle cam was installed in 2005.
Robinson said the NCTC estimates around 45 offspring had fledged from the original nest.
He said the eaglets will be honored with a private flute ceremony.
Editor’s Note: A mobile push notification to this story stated there were four eaglets killed during the windstorm instead of three.