Live stream’s bald eagles face apparent ‘intruder’ at nest near Pennsylvania park
HANOVER, Pa. — Dedicated viewers of the Hanover eagle cam have grown concerned following repeated visits by an "intruder" eagle this month.
It is impossible to know whether the eagle deemed an intruder is not one of the nesting eagles, according to a March 15 Facebook post from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
However, the eagle's visits have appeared to agitate the one sitting on the eggs.
The female eagle laid two eggs in the nest near Codorus State Park in February.
The first appearance from the intruder came on March 10 at about 7 p.m. ET, according to the game commission.
When the "intruder" arrived, the eagle incubating the eggs appeared agitated in its vocalizations and behavior. The eagles stood across from each other with outstretched wings.
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Patti Barber, a biologist with the game commission, laid out two possible explanations for what viewers of the live stream are seeing.
This could be the two nesting eagles, and there was something going on off camera that had them upset, Barber said.
“Eagle pairs call back and forth to each other and sometimes put on animated displays,” she said.
However, this also could have been a "floater" eagle — one looking for territory.
“Floaters visit established territories looking for a breeding vacancy," Barber said. "When there isn’t a vacancy, the pair member of the same sex will chase it off. If it’s not chased off, it may become the new breeder on that territory."
While the game commission does not have a biologist on the ground there, it does appear this is likely a new adult eagle at the nest, Travis Lau, game commission spokesman, said on Tuesday.
"With the eagle population filling in available habitat in many parts of Pennsylvania, it would not be surprising to (see) some increase in nest failure as a result of these interferences and competition disrupting the care of nest and young," he said.
Lau called this a great lesson from the game commission's bald eagle recovery efforts and monitoring of nests. Bald eagles are well-adapted to the area, as evidenced by their selection of nest sites, building of nests and caring for eggs and young.
"As bald eagles fill in available habitat, there are going to be some conflicts between eagles," he said.
If an eagle was injured and grounded from conflict, the game commission could facilitate its transfer to a licensed rehabilitation facility, Lau said.
"In other circumstances, nature would be allowed to take its course, and we remind viewers that it could be difficult to watch," he added.
To watch
Visit Pennsylvania Game Commission website at http://www.pgc.pa.gov and click the "Hanover Bald Eagle Live Stream" link in the Quick Clicks section of the homepage.
You can also visit HDOnTap.com and find two Hanover bald eagle cams under "View Live Cams."