Bald Eagles At Bartlesville Research Center Lay 1st Egg Of The Season

It's been a big week at the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center as bald eagles have laid two eggs.

It will be about a month before the eaglets hatch.

The bald eagle species continues to grow in Oklahoma. Two eggs are waiting to hatch.

You can see it all on camera from the Sutton Avian Research Center helping endangered and declining species of birds.

The nest is constantly being streamed on a live feed where anyone can watch nature in action.

Senior Biologist Dan Reinking says bald eagles are one of the earliest nesting species in Oklahoma, meaning they build their nests as early as December.

Typically, eagles lay eggs during the first couple months of the year.

This eagle pair laid their first egg late last week and the second this weekend.

"Well, it's an intimate look at something people don't normally get to see, the nest life of a bald eagle,” Reinking said.

He says in about a month, the eggs will hatch, and the eagles will grow up for a few months before leaving the nest.

Then they'll migrate north for the summer and spend five years seasonally traveling back and forth to Oklahoma.     

After that, they'll find a mate, settle down, and start a territory of their own.

This pair's been here for several years.     

Assistant Director Audra Fogle says the live stream is used by teachers in classrooms and viewers from all over the world.

"Nature's brutal, but it's beautiful. And to be able to see all the pieces, I think, it makes you appreciate our natural world. And it just helps you see it in a different light,” Fogle said.  

The center expects a third eagle egg to be laid by the end of the day.