There he is, the first eaglet of 2014 at the Pittsburgh Hays bald eagle nest.  He’s hard to see because he matches the nest, hence the arrow.  The two remaining eggs and his discarded eggshell (closest to Dad’s beak) stand out.

This tiny gray ball of fluff emerged on a warm and windy afternoon, March 28, under his mother’s gaze.  As soon as he was dry she brooded him until Dad returned with food.

Click on the snapshot above to watch “Hays Parents Celebrate Hatch.”  Dad has brought a fish to share.  While Mom eats, Dad studies the eaglet. “Is he hungry?” Not yet, so Dad rearranges the nest.  Mom leaves on a well-deserved break and Dad settles down to brood the chick.

Bald eagles brood their nestlings during cold and inclement weather until they’re about four weeks old.   In the first week the brooding is almost constant because the nestlings can’t regulate their own body temperature.  This also serves the dual purpose of incubating the unhatched eggs while keeping the eaglet(s) warm.

The next egg is slated to hatch on March 31.  Watch the eaglecam to see.

p.s. Don’t forget you can also see the eagles in person today (March 29) on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail with the National Aviary’s Bob Mulvihill, 9:00am to noon.  Click here for more information.

(snapshot from Pittsburgh Hays Eaglecam, broadcast by WildEarth)