April 2, 2008

2008 Eagle Nest Cam & Proposed Bald Eagle Releases

The live eagle nest cam began operation at the American Eagle Foundation (AEF) of Pigeon Forge, TN on April 2, 2008, a few days after two eggs were laid. The non-releasable adult bald eagles, Liberty and Justice, take turns at sitting on the eggs, or they may move about just enough for you to see under them. You can then confirm the number of eggs, and when they begin to hatch.

Bald Eagles may have one to three eggs. Incubation requires about 35 days, provided one or both eggs are fertile. The eaglet(s) will remain in this nest until the eaglet(s) are approximately 5 weeks of age. The eaglet(s) will then be removed from the nest and transferred to a nearby artificial nest in a hack tower overlooking East Tennessee’s Douglas Lake. The young bird(s) become oriented to typical bald eagle habitat for several weeks before they’re released.

They may be joined by approximately 6 to 8 other captive-bred eaglets placed in four 8x8x8-foot hack cages, with possibly up to three eaglets in each cage. While in the cages, they will not be able to see humans as the source of their food to assure that they will later hunt for themselves, primarily for fish. They will be released into the wild when they are between 12 or 13 weeks of age after reaching full size, and will be able to fly for the first time.

Prior Eaglets Produced & Raised By Liberty and Justice
Liberty and Justice have become live cam stars over the years. From 1993 through 2004, they successfully reared 13 of their own young for release into the wild. During 2005, when their three eggs were infertile, they successfully reared an eaglet from the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo.

In 2006, apparent weather damage caused the collapse of the nest of Liberty and Justice, destroying three eggs that year.

In 2007, an infertile egg in the nest of Liberty and Justice was replaced by two eaglets from another of AEF’s captive breeding pairs, Bonispae and Franklin. Two broken egg shells were placed in the nest to make the “miraculous hatch" appear to be more convincing to Liberty and Justice, and their two adopted eaglets were reared successfully for release into the wild.

AEF’s Prior Bald Eagle Releases
From 1992 through 2007, the AEF has released a total of 87 mostly captive-bred bald eagles from that hack site. Bald eagles tend to return to the general region where they first learn to fly to nest after they reach sexual maturity at 4 to 5 years age. However, in case their future choices of life-time mates had learned to fly in some distant area(s), they may need to compromise on their future nesting sites.

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2008 U. S. Mint Bald Eagle Commemorative Coins Now On Sale!