The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project has been a source of great joy and of sadness. Last year we lost our original female Eloise (Remembering Eloise) leaving the nest empty for a while. Throughout the spring three females tried to claim the nest and the handsome and dashing Elliott as their own, but it was not until our new female came along that a new HBEC queen could be crowned.
Our new queen of the nest has been named Athena and has taken over right where Eloise left off. She has many of the same traits or characteristics that made us all fall in love with Eloise such as having a prominent brow which gives her a fierce look, to keeping airspace near the nest clear of any other females trying to stake their claim on her nest or her "man", to making sure Elliott knows exactly where the nesting material goes, no matter where he thinks it should.
On Tuesday afternoon 1/22/19 a little after 4:00 PM Athena laid her first egg at the Harrison Bay nest. As with any eagle in the wild it is virtually impossible to know if this is her first egg every laid but she did struggle a bit which lead our expert moderators to speculate that it was.
Here is a video from our moderator Suzie-O which shows the laying process of egg #1
On Friday afternoon Athena laid her second egg which seemed to be a little easier on her. Both her and Elliott have, and will, take turns caring for the eggs as they keep them warm and turn the eggs periodically to keep the embryo from sticking to the insides of the egg. It is delicate process that makes many of use worry but we have to trust that the eagles know exactly what they are doing.
Well much to our surprise on Monday evening we were graced with a third egg from Athena. Three eggs in a single nest is not completely uncommon but is rare and since the nest was constructed in the fall of 2010 Eloise had only ever laid two eggs at a single time. We are very thrilled and excited about the opportunity to witness three eaglets being raised but it will also increase the need for food, shelter from the elements, and the inevitable sibling rivalries and bonking which will make all viewers uneasy and is the leading cause to hatchling death in a multiple egg nest.
As always we welcome everyone to join us in viewing the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project at
We are still buttoning up some technical issues which will make the experience even better throughout the year.
We would like to thank our great moderators who operate the site and the cameras and keep all the chatters informed and in line.
We would also like to thank Golf Course Industry magazine, Aquatrols, and Syngenta US for their sponsorship of the project this year. Without financial support from our friends this view into the life of a bald eagle nest would not be possible.
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