U.S. Steel eaglet Ocho accidentally fledges the nest
Ocho, the U.S. Steel eaglet, has fledged the nest. Well ... kind of.
Ocho left the nest at U.S. Steel's Irvin Plant in West Mifflin on Tuesday night, but instead of gracefully soaring to the skies, the young eagle tumbled off a branch and fell into the tree below. In a video from PixCams, which runs the livestream of the nest, Ocho is seen standing on a branch before the eaglet raises its wings, steps forward and falls, taking part of the nest down with it.
PixCams has been able to spot Ocho, writing on Facebook, "Ocho looks to be in fine condition so no need to worry!" Before the accidental fledge, Ocho had been spending time branching, preparing for flight.
PixCams has since posted several videos of Ocho perched on a branch below the nest. It's not clear what's next in Ocho's out-of-nest adventure, but viewers can watch online to find out.
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania says eagles in the area usually leave the nest mid-summer and keep returning until their parents kick them out.
While it's the sixth season for dad Irvin at the nest, mom Stella replaced Claire, who left the nest late last year. Irvin and Stella laid three eggs, but only Ocho hatched in March. The appropriately-named Ocho is the eighth eaglet to hatch at the U.S. Steel nest. The nest was built along the Monongahela River in 2019, and a wildlife camera has been livestreaming the family since 2021.
Pittsburgh's eagle nesting season has been full of ups and downs this year.
Usually bird watchers also have their eyes on the Hays eagle nest, but it collapsed during a storm last summer and the birds didn't rebuild in the same spot. However, trail photographers later found the eagles upstream across the river, and not only had they built another nest, but they had also hatched two eaglets. The hope is that PixCams can get another camera up there so Pittsburghers can keep up with the newly-renamed Glen Hazel eagles next year.
