logo
3 eggs laid at bald eagle nest in West Virginia: When to watch for them hatching

3 eggs laid at bald eagle nest in West Virginia: When to watch for them hatching

Yahoo18-02-2025

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Not one, not two, but three eggs are being incubated at the bald eagle nest at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, meaning patient viewers will have the chance to see three hatchings on the live Eaglecam.
An eagle's clutch—the group of eggs laid around the same time—usually consists of one to three eggs that usually hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Bella and Scout, the eagle parents at the upper nest at the NCTC, will take turns incubating and turning the three eggs.
The eggs were laid on Feb. 10, 13 and 16, making the estimated hatching time in mid-to-late March. If the eggs all hatch after the expected 35-39 days, the chicks will appear on the nest between March 18-28.
The real locations behind West Virginia's appearance in 'Captain America: Brave New World'
However, last year there were also three eggs in the nest, but only two hatched and neither of those chicks survived.
Those interested in keeping up with the eagles at the NCTC and learning more about the incubation and hatching process can tune into 'Live from the Eagle's Nest' on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service YouTube Channel, where experts will provide updates and answer questions.
You can also watch the nest on the live Eaglecam online here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Moonstone Beach was known for sun and buns. A look back at the end of RI's last nude beach
Moonstone Beach was known for sun and buns. A look back at the end of RI's last nude beach

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Moonstone Beach was known for sun and buns. A look back at the end of RI's last nude beach

It's unclear when exactly Moonstone Beach became a haven for nude sunbathers. According to various reports, the stretch of sandy beach located between the beaches in the South Kingstown villages of Matunuck and Green Hill gained popularity in the 1970s and remained so into the late 1980s. Then, by the end of the century, the sun and buns would start coming to a halt. It was no joke when on April 1, 1988, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began erecting a mile-long, 4-foot-high fence along Moonstone Beach to enclose nesting piping plovers and least terns until Aug. 31. According to Providence Journal archives, the fence closed off New England's only nude beach and South Kingstown's Town Beach during the nesting season. All that remained was a 50-foot right-of-way controlled by South Kingstown, and under the terms of the closing, which was announced earlier in 1988, the public still would be allowed on Moonstone Beach below the mean high water line – the average height of high tide – which is well below the sections of the beach where people sit. The fence left bathers with a narrow strip between the fence and the water. The decision to close most of the beach was made in the hopes of increasing the population of piping plovers by allowing them more room to nest and feed. Plovers, a shore bird that nests in the same soft sand that attracts sunbathers, became protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1986. Only two pairs of plovers had migrated from the south in 1985 to nest at Moonstone, and eight of their eggs were destroyed by predators drawn by refuse left by beach-goers, a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. With the fence plan in place, the town also banned nudity within 200 feet of the town beach at Moonstone Beach in 1988. The efforts proved semi-successful, with seven baby plovers surviving at Moonstone during the summer of 1989. As the plan to protect the plovers was being hatched, nudists protested the decision, claiming at times that the Fish and Wildlife Service was overstepping its authority because it opposed nude sunbathing – a charge that was denied by service officials. A letter-writing effort in June 1988 appealed to reopen the beach. An attempt to challenge the fence through a court injunction that summer also failed. In fall 1989, members of the New England Naturist Association announced plans for sit-ins and other protest actions the following summer. In December 1989, fully clothed members of the New England Naturist Association picketed the local headquarters of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the hope that public pressure would force the agency to reopen the beach the following summer. While those efforts proved unsuccessful, the association was able to find some relief when, in 1990, they leased a 350-foot beach adjacent to Moonstone. Association President Joseph R. DiPippo said that since the beach opened that July, they had averaged 150 people a day during the week and 250 to 300 people a day on the weekend. That beach would remain in use until 1992. In 1993, the association purchased property in South Kingstown near the Charlestown border. That move came after another effort in 1993 by the association to lease a 32-acre peninsula on the Ninigret Pond side of the Ninigret State Conservation Area for nude sunbathing, but it was unable to get a local zoning permit. That would remain in use for two summers until the Rhode Island Supreme Court dealt a blow to the New England Naturist Association when it ruled that the clothing-optional beach violated the town's zoning regulations. The court's ruling had nothing to do with issues of nudity, but rather with a local law requiring that the beach, as a recreational facility, receive a special exception from the town's Zoning Board to operate. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown was New England's last nude beach

Longtime volunteers to lead Springfield parade
Longtime volunteers to lead Springfield parade

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Yahoo

Longtime volunteers to lead Springfield parade

The Springfield Fourth of July Committee has announced Jerome and Regina Oakes as the grand marshals for the 2025 Fourth of July Parade. According to a news release from the committee, Jerome Oakes and Regina Armstrong both grew up in the town of Springfield but the two had not met until July 4, 1976 at Springfield's bicentennial celebration of America's Declaration of Independence. In 1980, they were wed at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Springfield Center. According to the couple, they have always been happy to remain in Springfield, "a place they consider beautiful and peaceful, and where they have both found satisfaction in service to their community," the release stated. Jerome Oakes is a veteran of the Vietnam War and recipient of a Purple Heart medal and other awards of distinction. He is a member of the Richfield Springs American Legion, the Cooperstown VFW and the Utica DAV. An active Boy Scout in his youth, Jerome achieved the rank of Star Scout and was a member of the Order of the Arrow and the Explorers. When the Oakes' twin boys were young, Jerome assisted the Cub Scout troop and coached Little League and T-ball teams. He has been a volunteer fireman in the Springfield Fire Department for 54 years and served as an EMS volunteer for nine years, according to the release. He is the superintendent of Springfield Cemetery, where he is responsible for managing burials, repairing and leveling headstones, excavating cremation plots, selling plots, and assisting with funeral arrangements. He places flags on the graves of veterans for Memorial Day, a service he extends to nearby cemeteries, the release stated. He also serves as custodian at the Springfield Community Center and traditionally carries the flag for the Springfield Fire Department's marching unit in the Fourth of July Parade, "as well as fulfilling many other supportive roles around the event," according to the release. Regina Oakes had a 47-year career at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. As a certified pharmacy technician, she primarily worked at the Cancer Center. Shortly after retiring, she returned to assist during the COVID pandemic, according to the release. For several summers, after completing shifts at the hospital, Regina spent her evenings working at the Cooperstown Dreams Park. She currently serves as an elected member of the Springfield Town Council, bringing almost 16 years of experience to the council, the release stated. She can often be found at the Springfield Community Center overseeing events and leading senior exercise programs and community pickleball, or at the Springfield Landing, where she manages boat slips and park passes. She spearheaded the clean-up and restoration of the old school cafeteria at the community center and launched the Springfield Community Kitchen in the fall of 2023, the release stated. The luncheons held at the center are planned, cooked and served by Regina, assisted by a staff of volunteers. The program is completely supported by community donations. Regina has been an active member of the Springfield Fire Department Auxiliary for 13 years. She also organizes the Springfield Fourth of July Committee's chicken barbecue. "The committee is pleased to honor their dedication and celebrate their positive impact on the community during this year's parade," the release stated. The parade will commence its 111th year at 11 a.m. Friday, July 4 in the hamlet of Springfield Center. This year's parade theme celebrates "We the People." The parade will end at the Springfield Community Center, where a celebration will be held. The festivities will feature music by the Camden Continentals Fife and Drum Corps and the Cooperstown Community Band, Brooks' chicken barbecue, homemade pie, the Springfield Historical Society Open House, children's games, raffles and more. Free parade parking is available at the community center. An evening concert and fireworks display will take place at Glimmerglass State Park, with music by local rock band Scattered Flurries starting at 7:30 p.m. , to be followed by fireworks at dusk. At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, July 6, the Glimmerglass Festival will present the 2025 Springfield Appreciation Concert, featuring musical selections from the festival's upcoming 50th anniversary season. Tickets for the concert ($5 each) and Springfield Fourth of July T-shirts ($15 each) are available at Convenience Corner, at the intersection of state Route 80 and U.S. Route 20 in Springfield Center. All proceeds support Springfield's Fourth of July events. For more information, look for the Springfield 4th of July Parade and Celebration on Facebook, email or call (315)858-0304.

Facing extinction, rare Florida swamp flower could get more protections
Facing extinction, rare Florida swamp flower could get more protections

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Yahoo

Facing extinction, rare Florida swamp flower could get more protections

One of Florida's rarest and most beloved swamp dwellers, the ghost orchid, could soon see increased protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. Citing the flower's growing risk of extinction, officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced a proposal to list the ghost orchid as an endangered species. The decision is being hailed by experts as a lifeline for the phantom flower after decades of poaching, dwindling wetlands and habitat loss have cut its Florida population in half and plummeted its chances of survival. Federal wildlife experts say there are fewer than 1,000 ghost orchids remaining in the United States, and less than half of those are old enough to reproduce. Globally, the ghost orchid's population has dropped by an estimated 90% in recent decades. 'The ghost orchid is Florida's most famous flower, and it deserves a chance to live,' said Melissa Abdo, the Sun Coast regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. A true child of the swamp, the ghost orchid clings high up on ancient cypress trees and pond apples, blooming in the hushed humidity of midsummer. Its white, dangling petals, seemingly aloft in midair, are the reason for its ghoulish name. A proposed increase in ghost orchid protections comes more than three years after a coalition of environmental advocacy groups, including the parks association, the Center for Biological Diversity and The Institute for Regional Conservation, petitioned the feds to add the ghost orchid to the list of endangered species. Jaclyn Lopez, director of the St. Petersburg-based Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson University's College of Law, helped file the petition in 2022. An endangered species listing imposes civil and criminal penalties under federal law for anyone who removes the flower from federal or state public lands, according to Lopez. The decision also requires federal wildlife officials to chart a course for its recovery. 'Once finalized, (the Endangered Species Act) listing will ensure a future where wild Florida is enriched and adorned by this beauty,' Lopez told the Tampa Bay Times in a statement. The ghost orchid is found in a small sliver of Florida swamplands, including in the Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. Other conservation and tribal lands in Collier, Hendry and possibly Lee counties are also home to the orchid, according to the nonprofit environmental groups. Western Cuba also has a population of ghost orchids, where they're also considered critically threatened, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife officials aren't listing a specific critical habitat boundary for the flower, because they said it could increase the risk of poaching. In 2023, state wildlife officials said they caught people attempting to steal a ghost orchid from public swamplands. The flower's lore, and the thievery it draws, also inspired journalist Susan Orlean's 1998 nonfiction bestseller, "The Orchid Thief." The listing proposal was formally published in the federal register Thursday, beginning a 60-day public comment period ending in early August. The coalition of nonprofits that filed the initial petition underscored the importance of federal wildlife staff as the Trump administration has deteriorated habitat protections and laid off employees with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including in Florida. 'This is welcome news for Florida's famously cryptic ghost orchids,' Elise Bennett, the Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, wrote in a statement to the Times. But 'with incessant attacks on landmark environmental laws meant to stop species from going extinct, we know our job here isn't done.' The Tampa Bay Times launched the Environment Hub in 2025 to focus on some of Florida's most urgent and enduring challenges. You can contribute through our journalism fund by clicking here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store