A bald eagle is pictured in a file photo. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Will County’s resident bald eagle population has been steadily growing over the last decade and it’s about to become even larger.
Forest Preserve District staff and volunteers have been keeping a close eye on the nests of two mated pairs of eagles and recently confirmed that at least one of the couples is sitting on eggs.
Eagles typically lay one to three eggs, according to forest preserve officials. Eggs generally hatch after 35 days, and a couple of weeks later, monitors would expect to see the fuzzy heads of little eaglets poking above the top of the nest.
In 2022, the nesting pairs each produced two eaglets.
Bald eagle nests are used year after year, getting bigger as they go, measuring 4 to 5 feet wide and 2 to 4 feet deep. Federal regulations protect the nests as well as the eagles, and people are advised to keep their distance — at least 100 yards — if they come across one.
For the safety of the birds, the Forest Preserve District does not divulge the location of the nests.
District staff and volunteer monitors keep tabs on #eagle nests to document how active they are and if they have successful offspring.
Bertrand Leclercq pic.twitter.com/ewJEl3Sm4e
— WillCoForestPreserve (@WillCoForests) February 22, 2023
Learn more about Will County's eagle monitoring:
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
