1, maybe more, bald eagles hatch at Harmar nest

The fuzzy gray head of at least one bald eagle chick was seen by a local photographer documenting the bald eagle nest above Route 28 in Harmar.

The parents were seen feeding young in the nest as early as last Friday, April3, said Gina G. Gilmore of Fox Chapel, who frequently photographs the eagle couple that has been nesting on the same steep hillside above Route 28 for seven years. The pair has successfully raised nine eaglets before this breeding season.

Without the benefit of a live webcam, the feeding behavior of an adult eagle is the primary way to verify the successful hatching of an egg, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists.

“The eagles added more material to their nest this year, which makes for a deeper nest bowl, and it makes it harder to see the young,” Gilmore said.

But in the last several days, Gilmore glimpsed the gray fuzzy head of one, maybe two eaglets.

“Time will tell what the total number will be,” she said.

In the meantime, the eagle parents have been busy feeding their young and defending their territory against red-tailed hawks, which have been frequent foes of the formerly endangered birds.

To learn more about the Harmar bald eagles, visit the Facebook pages of Harmar Bald Eagles of Pittsburgh and Gina G. Gilmore Photography.