DNR eagle cam is back up

[Lee Borgersen]

                    Twin Cities eagle cam is back up, DNR says




An egg has landed, and the Twin Cities "eagle cam" is trained on it, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources biologists.

The camera, capturing what is likely the same pair of bald eagles for the third year, can be viewed at www.webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/eagle.

The female still could lay another three eggs, and then incubation continues 35 days or so, according to a statement from the DNR.

Biologists believe two of the three chicks hatched in 2014 visited the nest over the summer. This, after the first heartbreaking year when the pairs' two eggs failed to hatch.

March is the typical egg-laying month for Minnesota eagles, the DNR says, adding that this proves "once again, that they are not typical." It also means the parents need to stick close to the nest, particularly on colder midwinter days.

The American bald eagle was pushed to the brink of extinction but has made a comeback in the continental United States.

Webcams like the DNR's have grown in popularity -- an "eagle cam" in Decorah, Iowa, went viral in 2011, generating more than 200 million views from around the world.

The EagleCam nest is in the Twin Cities, but the exact location is withheld to prevent crowds that might disrupt the eagles, according to the DNR.