Eagle Cam Viewers Worried About This Year's Eggs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- At one of many metro area bald eagle nests, doting parents sit on a clutch of eggs. It's a success story that's brought this once endangered majestic bird back from the brink.
Tens of thousands of viewers can't get enough of the DNR's live-streamed Eagle Cam.
But lately, many fear they're watching nature's failure.
"People get very emotionally invested in them, but don't give up hope," said Lori Naumann, with DNR's nongame wildlife program.
She confirms the eagles are leaving three eggs unprotected for hours, in the cold and snow.
"A lot of people are concerned [the mother has] been off the eggs," Naumann said. "That's because it's wet, and she's getting cold, and she's getting hypothermic."
The mother eagle has to fly off to dry her feathers and warm up. It's also likely that the pair is being forced to leave the nest, fending off other eagles trying to move in.
"Does that mean the eggs will make it? Maybe, maybe not," Naumann said.
In the past six years, this mother eagle has successfully raised 10 chicks.
Projects like the Eagle Cam are funded by check-off donations on your Minnesota state income tax form.
This is the 40th anniversary of the DNR's nongame wildlife program.