EagleCam nest gets its first egg of the year
The first egg of the year was laid over the weekend in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources EagleCam nest.
When the state's Nongame Wildlife Program began live streaming video of bald eagles in a Twin Cities nest, it had only 2,000 subscribers.
Five years later, about 20,000 people are signed up for updates about the goings-on in the nest, like egg laying and chick rearing.
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Watch live: EagleCam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ6hGErABPM
"We have visitors from all over the world," said Lori Naumann, nongame wildlife information officer.
The EagleCam captures the nest of a pair of eagles that usually produce three eggs each season. The cameras are turned on from about November to June.
Naumann said the state has about 3,000 bald eagles and boast the highest population of the lower 48 states.
The program is a nonprofit operation under the umbrella of the state's Department of Natural Resources.
"It provides an interesting and unique look into the life of bald eagle," Naumann said. "They are very regal birds, they are our national symbols, of course. People just love to watch the EagleCam and it also provides in insight into our program and what we do."
The DNR also operates other cameras including the FalconCam — a nest on peregrines top of the Bremer Tower in St. Paul — and the FishCam during the State Fair.
"Eagles are vulnerable to environmental issues as everything else is, and we are fortunate to have a large population in Minnesota," she said. "That is most thanks to programs like our who invest in their population growth and other nongame wildlife species."