Both Glen Hazel eaglets die from illness: "It's been brutal."
Both eaglets in Pittsburgh's Glen Hazel nest have died after they got sick.
The first eaglet, referred to as GH4, died Sunday morning. The other eaglet, GH3, died Monday morning, despite hope overnight that it would pull through, said PixCams, which runs the livestream of the eagle cam.
The Tamarack Wildlife Center sought permission to access the nest, though wildlife rescuers are usually only allowed to step in when threats have a clear human origin, like when an eaglet in the U.S. Steel nest swallowed a fishhook.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said it has decided not to intervene because it could further stress the adult eagles. While the Tamarack Wildlife Center suspects bird flu as the cause of death, it said there's no practical benefit to confirming that.
Birdwatchers mourn eaglets
PixCams says it has never experienced a loss like this in the 14 years it has been streaming these eagles.
"That's unusual," said Carol Holmgen, the executive director of the Tamarack Wildlife Center. "There can be up to 50% mortality among eaglets, which is not uncommon."
Still, it's a blow to the hundreds of people who watch the livestreams of the Glen Hazel and U.S. Steel nests. Both livestreams have active chats where people talk about the daily happenings at the eagle nests.
"It's been brutal," Holmgren said of watching the livestream of the sick eaglets. "These birds are members of our family."
Holmgren, who also acts as a wildlife rehab partner for the live cameras of the eagles, wished there was something she could do.
"I'm used to being able to treat injured and sick wildlife," she said. "So I was about ready to go climb that tree last night, but I knew I couldn't."
Bird flu suspected in eaglets' deaths
As of right now, while they won't be able to tell what caused the eaglets' deaths, bird flu is suspected.
"The signs that we've been seeing from the eaglets and the disease progression, the illness progression are all totally consistent with avian influenza," Holmgren said.
Bird flu has spiked in commercial and wild flocks in Pennsylvania this year.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission told KDKA the most recent confirmed positive cases in wild birds in the southwestern region were in February, and that it hasn't been as prevalent in the southwest as in other parts of the state.
Holmgren said geese are known to spread the illness, and that the eagles have been eating them.
"That is very easily a mechanism of transmission of this virus," Holmgren said.
Mom appears to be doing better
The dad hasn't exhibited any abnormal behavior, and while the mom was resting more than normal and taking smaller bites of food this weekend, she appears to be doing better. She was the first bald eagle to nest in the Pittsburgh area in more than 150 years.
"She has been demonstrating more vigor and more appetite," Holmgren said.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission decided they wouldn't respond after conducting a risk analysis based on the state and federal guidelines for nesting wildlife.
"There's no action that would be taken that would create better outcomes for the species or for humans," Holmgren said.
Experts also didn't want to cause stress on the mom, who they continue to monitor, hoping she'll make a full recovery, with possibly a stronger immune system than her eaglets.
The Game Commission said it may pursue disease testing "if a safer opportunity presents itself in the future."
The live camera of the eagle nest is staying up in an effort to be transparent, Holmgren said.
