NCTC Live Cam
Links to the start of the current and previous season's discussion in this thread:
- 2023/2024 Season starts HERE (young male Scout replaces Smitty)
- 2022/2023 Season starts HERE
- 2021/2022 Season starts HERE
- 2020/2021 Season starts HERE
- 2019/2020 Season starts HERE
Bella and Smitty are the resident pair. viewtopic.php?p=376949#p376949
Bella & Smitty - First Season Together - 2019 Highlights - NCTC Bald Eagles - August 2019
https://youtu.be/AGj-urH7HJ0 Nest Location - Shepherdstown, West Virginia
This eagle nest is located approximately 75 miles from Washington, D.C. on the campus of The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' National Conservation Training Center. The campus is located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, approximately 1/4 mile from the Potomac River. The eagle nest is on the west side of the National Conservation Training Center campus, about 90 feet high in a large sycamore tree, and is about 6 feet across and 5 feet deep, and weights several hundred pounds. It is made of branches and large sticks with a softer grass and leaf lining. Over the past couple of years there was been concern that the nest tree is dying but so far it has held up!
2023 Nesting Season
Eggs Laid:
Hatch Date:
Branching:
Fledge Date:
Last Seen:
Intrusions:
2022 Nesting Season
There was a rocky start to the season - female Bella appeared on the nest on February 1st with blood and older stains on her head and neck. On February 2nd, a new female began appearing at the nest and mating with Smitty; she had a few dark feathers in her tail, suggesting she was a young adult. She was around for a couple of weeks, and then, on February 19, Bella returned! No eggs this year, but Smitty and Bella are still the resident pair, and we have hopes for next year.
2021 Nesting Season
Eggs Laid: February 11, 2:42 pm; February 14, 5:50 pm
Hatch Date: March 20, 3:34 pm (37 days); March 22, 9:37 am (36 days)
Branching:
Fledge Date: Talon at 5:41 am June 5, 2021; Spirit at 11:25 am June 8, 2021
Last Seen:
Intrusions:
2020 Nesting Season
Eggs Laid: February 17, 4:11 pm; February 20, 6:35 pm
Hatch Date: March 25, 1:21 pm (37 days); March 27, 8:41 am (36 days)
Sad News: the 2-day-old older eaglet fell into a little hole in the nest and died on March 27
Named: Ozzy
Branching:
Fledge Date: June 13, 2:29 pm (78 days)
Last Seen:
Intrusions:
(JudyB contributed to the timeline updates)
Hatch Timelines
Experience shows that the first egg often hatches around Day 38 and the second egg hatches a bit earlier often Day 36 or 37 as a result of the "cooling period" of the first egg thereby promoting a closer hatch of the eggs. Once all the eggs are laid then the birds generally incubate the eggs continuously. In 2014 Belle cooled the egg one night for 6 hours straight and we speculated it was because she had a third egg to lay, which turned out to be the case.
2019 Nesting Season - Smitty & Bella - 1st Season Together
Eggs Laid: Feb 20, 2019 @ 523 pm; Feb 23, 2019 @ 632 pm
Hatch Date: March 29, 2019, 1235 pm & March 31, 2019, 730 am
Loss - One Eaglet Dies - April 7, 2019 - One of the eaglets passed on; it was observed at first light; the eaglet was out of the egg cup up near top of the nest; cause unknown; could have been hypothermia as chicks at this age are unable to maintain their body temperature. The chicks had just visited that area of the nest the day prior and they enjoyed two feedings there. Sad loss for this family. Some of us feel it was the older chick that died but no way to tell for sure.
Naming of Eaglets - After the passing of one of the eaglets; 4th Grade Students from the Chamberlain Elementary School in Charleston named the eaglets Hope Ann Faith and Angel. Angel for the little one that past away. Thank you students we love both names!
Naming of the New Female - The new female has been named Bella (via a poll at BE 101) in honor of the long term resident female Belle.
Branching: June 1, 2019 - Hope moves up to the stump; a form of branching for this nest. June 4, 2019 Hope flies from nest to post/stump. June 6, 2019 - Hoovers above the nest. June 7, 2019 - Hope flies from the stump to the look out post above the nest. Hope perches above the nest in an area we call the attic. June 15, 2019 Hope was perched all night on the stump look out post.
Fledge Date: June 16, 2019 - Forced Fledge; 139 am - Under darkness; Hope attempts to fly up to the stump/look out post misses and falls over the nest. Hope returned to the nest on June 18, 2019. During the last two weeks in June Hope became quite feisty grabbing Dad's talons often instead of going for the fish. Hope did not want to share the nest with Mom or Dad haha.
Juveniles Last Seen: Parents continued to deliver fish to the nest and to Hope up until July 17 2019 when the cams went off line. Lightening has knocked the cams out a few times this season.
July 30, 2019 - Cams came back up no sign of Hope; Bella and Smitty are often heard in the early morning hours calling trilling from the attic. Smitty visited the nest on August 2, 2019.
Intruders - Adult eagle - Feb 22 & Feb 23 2019 Two large birds possibly sub adults or juveniles; May 7, 2019 Immature Adult Eagle lands in the nest; Hope defended his nest see video footage. June 8, 2019 - Black Snake visits the nest. During the month of June we heard a second juvenile near the nest and we heard the visitor in the attic above the nest. Intrusions and visitors are common at this nest.
Background - 2018 to 2019 Nesting Season
Early in the 2018 nesting season and just after she laid her first egg Belle was injured during a territorial dispute with several eagles. Belle put up a good fight defending her nest and territory but her injuries were significant and she failed to return to the nest. The territorial dispute had displaced Belle and Smitty the long term resident pair. Smitty did his best to incubate the egg and defend the nest but after several days of spotty incubation the egg and nesting season failed. With Belle gone several new females (likely some new males too) started to visit the nest although Smitty appeared as well. The competition for the nest and territory was fierce and fair game for all. Thorough out Smitty was a constant and he was successful in maintaining his position as resident male. On May 31, 2018 the live cam was hit by lightening during a severe thunderstorm (tornado touched down not far from the nest) so we were not able to see what transpired after the cams went off line. When the cams came back on line months later Smitty and the new female Belle were forming their bond. The new female was named Bella in honor of the long term resident female Belle In 2019 the new pairing Bella and Smitty successfully fledged one eaglet named Hope!
Important Links
Link to live bald eagle web pan tilt zoom cam view
http://outdoorchannel.com/eaglecam
Still Cam can be found here
http://www.fws.gov/nctc/cam/stillimage.html
Here are some Face Book sites that support and provide information on Belle, Smitty.
Bald Eagles 101
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1690426617860075/
Outdoor Channel Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/LiveEagleCam ........... Live Eagle Cam
Eagle Cam Updates from the NCTC & Outdoor Channel are shared here
http://outdoorchannel.com/content.aspx?id=3933
Friends of the National Conservation Training Center
http://www.friendsofnctc.org/index.htm
Link to the 2019 Nesting Season
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=350&p=118913#p118913
Link to the 2018 Nesting Season
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=113
Link to the 2017 Nesting Season
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/vi ... ue#1048516
Link to the 2016 Nesting Season
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/vi ... pic=816353