Ever since the bald eagle nest in Big Bear went viral this month, we’ve had our eye on another bald eagle nest in West Virginia that was incubating three eggs. As of 10am ET Monday morning, the third and final bald eagle chick has officially hatched!
Now’s the time to tune into the live cam and watch the three new eaglets take in their surroundings for the first time. If you missed the recent hatches, we’ll catch you up:
- First eaglet (E10) hatched at 3:56pm ET on Thursday, March 20, 2025
- Second eaglet (E11) hatched at 3:42pm ET on Sunday, March 23, 2025
- Third eaglet (E12) hatched at 10:00am ET on Monday, March 24, 2025
Eagle parents Bella and Scout take turns brooding the chicks and feeding them numerous times throughout the day.
Live cams of the NCTC bald eagle nest
The bald eagle nest is located on the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC)’s campus near Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Current residents Bella and Scout have lived at the nest since 2019 and 2023, respectively, but the nest is actually over 22 years old. It’s located about 90 feet up a sycamore tree and referred to as the “upper” nest, because there’s a newer “lower” nest in the same tree about 15 feet below.
Camera 1
Camera 1 gives you a close-up angle of the bald eagle nest. Check here for the best view of the chicks.
Camera 2
Camera 2 is a wide angle of the nest and surroundings. It’s a better view for watching the eagle parents interact with each other and fly in search of food.
Join the conversation
If you’re just now tuning in to the live cams, it’s worth checking the following sources to catch up with the latest updates.
- Outdoor Channel – This website includes links to the live cams and a very active discussion forum that usually has time stamps and screenshots from the feed.
- “Live From the Eagle’s Nest” Studio Broadcasts – NCTC professions provide eagle news via a bi-weekly broadcast.
- Bald Eagles 101 Facebook page – Eagle fans share updates about the NCTC nest and several others.
So the eagles have hatched… what happens now?
When bald eagle hatchlings first free themselves from the shell, they will have pink skin and look damp from the fluids. After a few hours, the chick’s light gray down should dry and fluff up. The hatchlings’ vision will be poor at the beginning, but they’ll begin seeing better and interacting more with their parents after a week or so.
Eagle parents feed their hatchlings small pieces of fish, mammals like squirrels and rats, reptiles, carrion, and waterfowl. The eaglets will gain between 1/2 to 1 pound of weight per week during the first 10 weeks of life. By the third week, they’ll be about 1 foot tall.
As fans of the Big Bear eagles will know, it’s not uncommon to witness some “circle of life moments” on the live cam, so be prepared for some potentially sad events if you tune in. This is a wild eagle nest and anything can happen. You can learn more about what to expect on the live stream in our recent article.
Featured image: Screenshot from “Live! From the NCTC Eagle Nest – Camera 1” on Monday morning, March 24, 2025.