4/4/2023 8:33:59 AM
The intermittent chirping of the birds, mild sounds of the wind, and occasional rumblings of a passing train are what Minnesotans encounter when they visit the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) EagleCam. Its star attraction – the nest of a pair of bald eagles – is no more after the latest blizzard in Minnesota.
The nest, which attracts hundreds of thousands of annual views, fell off from its high perch on a Cottonwood tree at 7:53 a.m. on April 2, 2023. DNR experts feel the storm either caused a nearby tree to fall on the nest or the snow proved too heavy for the dead branch that had supported the estimated 2,000-pound nest.
Unfortunately, a barely-week-old chick in the nest did not survive the fall.
The adult eagles weren’t injured and were flying around the area and are likely to rebuild their nest in the area because eagles are loyal to their territory.
Despite the loss of the nest, the EagleCam is still on, MNIT Agency Web Liaison Jed Becher said. DNR will inform the community when the camera is turned off for the season.
In the seasons ahead, the EagleCam will continue its operations at the same place or a new location nearby, said Becher, a member of the DNR EagleCam team who provides input on activities related to the camera, its operation, communication planning, and crisis management.
The MNIT team was scouting another location to set up a second camera even before this nest fell.
The EagleCam draws audiences from 180 countries and 50 states, he said. More than 1,700 people simultaneously watched the feed after the lone egg in the nest hatched on March 26, 2023. “There were two eggs but one broke (in February),” Becher said.
Earlier this year MNIT replaced a faulty microphone to enhance the viewer experience.
On average, about 385,000 devices access the eagle webcam every year. It hit a high of nearly 700,000 in 2016 and a low of 152,000 in 2019 when there wasn’t a successful hatch, he said. The EagleCam has helped DNR’s outreach and education about supporting Minnesota’s wildlife.
Lori Naumann, Information Officer for DNR’s Nongame Wildlife program, credits Becher for helping drive traffic to the EagleCam this year. After a snowstorm hit Minnesota in late February, Becher suggested posting and promoting the image of a snow-covered eagle after he saw the footage captured by the EagleCam, she said. The photo and the time-lapsed video went viral.
The current EagleCam (the third one since 2012) is on the same large tree that housed the eagle nest (about 10 feet away). The camera uses Power Over Ethernet (POE) and is linked to the DNR network with a Point-to-Point internet connection.
A computer in the DNR central office accesses the camera over the DNR network and uses software to encode the video, sending it to the DNR’s YouTube channel for public streaming. To help maintain the camera and microphone on the tree securely, DNR relies on its partnership with Xcel Energy. The energy company makes available a truck that can help DNR reach the nest as and when needed.
Besides Becher, the MNIT team supporting webcams includes John Wucherer, who takes care of hardware including cameras and microphones, and vendor coordination, and Theodore Bhagyam, who configures the streaming software as needed for the EagleCam.
MNIT specifies cameras and all related hardware, maintains internet connectivity, and manages vendors and associated streaming software and DNR YouTube resources, while DNR staff control day-to-day camera operations, selecting views, locations, and subjects of cameras as well as all promotion and communication-related activities.
