Eagle Cam
The NCTC Eagle Cam project is a partnership between the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Outdoor Channel, and the Friends of the National Conservation Training Center. We also acknowledge the many dedicated eagle fans from around the country and the world who have been with us from the beginning, and who have provided a great deal of support.
The nest is located approximately 75 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. on the campus of The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' National Conservation Training Center. The campus is near Shepherdstown, in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, approximately 1/4 mile from the Potomac River.
An American Bald Eagle pair began building this nest in 2003, near the top of a large sycamore tree. Two eaglets hatched in 2004, were successfully raised, and the two young eagles fledged from the nest in June of 2004. In the fall of 2005, NCTC installed our first eagle cam and the 2006 nesting season was the first to be observed online. The NCTC Eagle Cam soon became very popular with a large online following of viewers amazed to watch the eagles raise their young each season.
The nesting season begins each year in the fall and early winter when the eagles bring in sticks and work to build up the nest. Mating happens from December to February, eggs are laid in mid-February, and with 35-38 days of steady incubation, the eggs hatch around mid-March. In twelve weeks, from mid-March to mid-June, the young eagles grow incredibly fast, and the adult-sized young will first leave the nest (fledge) in mid-June. The juvenile eagles will then spend the summer months near the river with the adults to hone their fishing and hunting skills. During the summer, we will see the juveniles back in the nest on occasion, but by fall they are on their own.
Please join us for our online broadcasts of "Live from the Eagles Nest" during the nesting season. You'll find the schedule here.
Posted below Educator Resources, you will find a collection of online lesson plans, websites, photos, and videos on bald eagles that will be helpful to teachers, home-schooling parents, and students.
