[Watch Live] Michigan Bald Eagle Cam: Did Eggs Survive Storm?

Updated at 12:19 p.m.

BEULAH, MI – The snow has melted from the eagle nest at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery near Beulah, where the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Carbon Media Group are partnering to bring live stream video of a pair of nesting bald eagles.

It's unclear if an early spring snow storm compromised the eggs, but both parents have been switching off and keeping the eggs warm. The female lay the eggs in mid-March, and if all goes well, there should be a pair of eaglets before the end of April.

SEE ALSO

• Watch Michigan Eagle Cam: It's Happening! First Eaglet About to Hatch!

Eagle cam viewers have worried whether the eggs would survive, but the odds seem to be in their favor.

Both female and male eagles, who share incubation duties, develop a brood patch — a bare spot on their bellies that acts as a conduit to transfer heat from their bodies to eggs during incubation.

To hatch, the eggs must be maintained at a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Eagles are fantastic insulators, according to naturalist. Last year, Liberty and Freedom, a pair of nesting eagles in Lancaster, PA, made national news when one of the pair was buried in snow, with only its head and beak visible.

Despite that, two eaglets successfully hatched.

Our Earlier Report

The wind is howling, the snow is swirling and Mama is hunkering down.

Michigan’s nesting eagles are in trouble.

• Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

An early spring snow storm has moved in on the eagle nest at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery, where the action is offered on live stream through a partnership between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Carbon Media Group.

The hatchery is located near Beulah in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

“If the eggs do not stay warm, they will be unable to hatch,” the DNR warned Thursday. “The parents are doing all they can to keep their eggs alive.”

They are nesting on two eggs. The first appeared on March 12, the second on the 15th. Eagles incubate their eggs for about 35 days, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, so this is a very precarious time for them.

» Watch Michigan's live eagle cam here.

The Beulah area was under a winter storm warning Thursday. Snow was expected to end overnight, but the expected low is around 28. The forecast for Friday calls for sunny skies with a high near 38. Temperatures should rebound over the weekend, with a high near 46 on Saturday and an overnight low of around 35. Sunday’s high is expected to be 43, and it should be warmer still on Monday, with a high near 42.

» American pine marten photo via Wikimedia / Creative Commons

If you’ve been watching, the mother eagle had to defend the nest against the threat of an American pine marten that scampered up the tree, perhaps aiming to snatch the eggs.

Faithful eagle cam viewers also watched the eagles clear their nest, which had drawn the curiosity of a pair of Great Horned Owls. They also watched the eagles devour a squirrel for breakfast and feast on a rabbit dinner.

» Screenshot of nesting eagle and video courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources/Carbon Media Group