A bald eagle is pictured in a file photo. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Of the four bald eagle nests Will County Forest Preserve officials are monitoring for breeding activity, one is newly-built after the previous nest came crashing down under its own weight.

A mated pair have settled into the enormous replacement — which longtime volunteer eagle watcher Joel Craig estimates is 8 feet tall — built to house a growing family, apparently.

That’s right, Craig spotted nesting activity over the weekend, confirming that the pair is incubating eggs, or egg. Eagles typically lay clutches of one to three eggs.

Because bald eagle nests are so huge, it takes perseverance and attention to details to determine whether couples are expecting. 

Among the signs Craig looks for: Are the eagles bringing grass and other materials to the nest? These would help insulate the eggs.

He also takes note of birds’ position in the nest. If hunkered down low, that purpose is to incubate eggs. According to forest preserve officials, Craig kept an eye on the nest for at least an hour and the female eagle never budged from her spot.

Now the wait is on for the eaglets to hatch, with the incubation period typically lasting 35 days.  

Just a week ago, Will County reported its first confirmed nesting pair and is continuing to monitor the other two nests within the forest preserve district. In 2023, Will County recorded a total of five hatchlings — how big will this year’s eaglet boom compare?

Eagles and their nests are federally protected. Because human interference could cause the eagles to abandon their nests and eggs, the forest preserve district never discloses nesting locations. Anyone who stumbles upon a nesting site should maintain a distance of at least a football field’s length.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]