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Two cameras, one bald eagle nest, and a whole new way to experience the lives of Pittsburgh’s famous eagles!

If you’ve been following the Glen Hazel Bald Eagles (formerly known as the Hays Eagles) over the years, you know that every nesting season brings something special. But this year, we’re taking eagle watching to an entirely new level!

This past Wednesday, November 11, the PixCams team headed out for one of our most exciting camera installations yet. Our mission? Install not one, but TWO live-streaming cameras at the Glen Hazel Bald Eagle Nest!

That’s right! For the first time in the history of this nest camera project, viewers will have two different perspectives of the eagles’ activities. And if the eagles’ behavior immediately following our installation is any indication, we’re in for quite a season!

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A Perfect Day to Climb a Tree!

Anyone who has worked on installing wildlife cameras knows that Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate. Cold temperatures, rain, wind, and unpredictable conditions can turn a relatively straightforward installation into a challenging adventure.

Fortunately, Wednesday was just about perfect!

Our friends Arch and Eric from Northwood Tree Care, LLC joined us to handle the challenging work of getting our cameras installed high above the ground. Installing equipment in a tree that supports a massive bald eagle nest requires skill, experience, and careful planning.

Arch and Eric did a fantastic job getting everything positioned and secured. We couldn’t have accomplished this without their expertise, and we’re incredibly grateful for their continued help.

We also had some wonderful company on the ground! Wendy and Dan, two of our dedicated PixCams chat moderators, came along to lend a hand and share in the excitement. These are the folks who help make our online eagle-watching community such a welcoming place, and it was great having them be part of the installation.

With perfect weather, a great crew, and plenty of enthusiasm, everything came together beautifully

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Two Cameras? What’s the Big Deal?

You might be wondering why we’re so excited about adding a second camera. After all, we’ve been watching these eagles for years with just one.

Well, imagine watching your favorite sporting event with only one camera angle. You can follow the action, but sometimes the most interesting things happen just outside the picture!

That’s exactly what we’ve experienced over the years with our eagle cameras.

This season, viewers will enjoy two unique perspectives:

📷 The Side Nest Camera: This camera provides the familiar, beautiful view looking directly into the nest. It’s an excellent perspective for watching the adults interact, bring in nesting material, feed their young, and go about their daily routines. https://pixcams.com/hays-bald-eagle-nest/​

📷 The Top Nest Camera: This is where things get especially exciting! Our new overhead view looks down into the nest, providing a perspective we’ve never had before at Glen Hazel. When the eagles lay their eggs, we’ll have a much better opportunity to watch incubation, hatching, feeding, and those fascinating early days of eaglet development. https://pixcams.com/glen-hazel-bald-eagle-nest-top-view/​

Together, these cameras should allow us to observe behaviors that might otherwise go unnoticed.

And for those of us who can spend hours watching an eagle rearrange the same stick over and over again, having two views is going to be a real treat!

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The Eagles Gave Us Their Approval… Almost Immediately!

Here’s one of my favorite parts of the entire installation.

After spending the day getting everything installed, connected, and tested, our crew packed up and headed home.

We didn’t have to wait long to see whether our new cameras would capture some action.

Just about ONE HOUR after we left, BOTH bald eagles arrived at the nest!

And thanks to our newly installed cameras, we were able to watch them!

Talk about perfect timing!

The eagles have already been extremely active around the nest, making frequent visits and working on preparations for the upcoming breeding season.

Watching both adults return so quickly after our installation was an exciting way to end an already fantastic day.

Of course, we can’t know what the eagles thought about their new camera equipment, but they certainly didn’t waste any time getting back to their normal activities!

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A Little PixCams Technology Makes a Big Difference

There’s another exciting part of this project that might not be quite as visible to viewers, but it’s a major improvement behind the scenes.

One of the biggest challenges with streaming wildlife cameras from remote locations is getting reliable, high-quality video back to the internet.

Unlike a camera installed at someone’s home, we can’t simply plug into a convenient high-speed internet connection at the eagle nest. Our Glen Hazel cameras rely on a 5G cellular network to transmit their live video.

And now, with two cameras instead of one, that presents an even bigger challenge!

Fortunately, we’ve been working on some exciting new technology here at PixCams.

This installation features our newly developed EZ Streamer video encoder!

Our latest EZ Streamer technology allows us to stream both cameras at higher resolution over the cellular connection, giving viewers two beautiful live views while making efficient use of the available network bandwidth.

For those who have followed PixCams over the years, you know that developing innovative camera and streaming technology is a big part of what we do.

Whether we’re streaming bald eagles here in Pennsylvania or wildlife from remote locations in Africa, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve video quality, reliability, and the overall viewing experience.

The Glen Hazel installation is another exciting step forward for that technology!

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What Can We Expect This Nesting Season?

Now comes the really fun part: waiting to see what the eagles have in store for us!

Bald eagles are fascinating birds, particularly during their breeding season. In western Pennsylvania, pairs often begin preparing their nests during the fall and winter months, long before the first egg is laid.

Both adults may bring sticks and other nesting materials to strengthen and maintain their enormous nest. They also arrange softer materials in the nest bowl where the eggs will eventually be laid.

As winter progresses, we can expect to see increased nest activity, courtship behavior, and hopefully another successful breeding season.

Here’s what we’ll be watching for over the coming months:

• 🪵 Nest renovations: The seemingly endless rearranging of sticks and nesting materials.
• ❤️ Courtship and bonding: Watching the pair strengthen their bond as breeding season approaches.
• 🥚 Egg laying: In our region, bald eagles commonly begin laying eggs in late winter, often around February.
• 🐣 Hatching: After approximately 35 days of incubation, we hope to see tiny eaglets emerge.
• 🐟 Feeding time: Both parents will work to provide fish and other food for their rapidly growing young.
• 🦅 First flights: If all goes well, we’ll eventually get to watch the young eagles prepare for their first adventures outside the nest.

With our new overhead camera, some of these moments should be even more fascinating to watch!

Of course, wildlife never follows a script, and that’s what makes watching these cameras so interesting. Every nesting season is different, and we’re simply privileged to have a front-row seat to whatever nature brings.

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None of This Happens Without Our Supporters

Before wrapping up this week’s WildWatch Weekly, I want to recognize the people who make projects like this possible.

First, another enormous thank-you to Arch and Eric at Northwood Tree Care, LLC for their outstanding work installing the cameras. Working high in the trees is no small task, and their expertise was essential.

Thank you also to Wendy and Dan, our wonderful chat moderators, for joining us and helping throughout the day.

And most importantly, THANK YOU to everyone who donated to support this camera upgrade!

Installing and operating remote wildlife cameras requires specialized equipment, networking technology, installation services, and ongoing expenses. The generosity of our viewers and supporters allows us to continue improving these cameras and bringing incredible wildlife experiences to people around the world.

We truly appreciate every contribution, large or small.

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Let the Eagle Watching Begin!

As I think back on Wednesday’s installation, it’s hard not to be excited about what’s ahead.

We had beautiful weather, a terrific installation crew, two new camera views, some exciting new streaming technology, and even a visit from both eagles just an hour after we finished.

I’d call that a pretty successful day!

Now the real show begins.

Whether you’ve been watching the Glen Hazel Eagles since their earliest nesting seasons or you’re discovering these magnificent birds for the first time, I hope you’ll join us for what promises to be another memorable year.

And remember, this season we won’t just have one front-row seat.

We’ll have TWO! 🦅🦅

Until next week, keep watching, keep exploring, and keep enjoying the incredible wildlife around us!

— PixCams

WildWatch Weekly – Bringing You Closer to Wildlife

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