This is the fourth report on the two pairs of nesting bald eagles in PPL Corporation’s Holtwood Environmental Preserve.

On Sunday, March 13, we observed, late in the afternoon, a switch in incubating duties. On arrival, the female was perched on the top of the nest tower, and the male was on the eggs. After we made the 10-minute climb to the observation site, we found the male had left and the female was on the eggs! During the next half hour, she had rearranged some liner materials, turned an egg, and repositioned herself about 90 degrees. This indicates to me that there may again be an odd number of eggs already in the nest.

The photo from today, March 16, shows the female in her usual position; alert, wary and low in the nest, on her eggs. She again moved some stuff around the eggs and then repositioned herself. There was no sign of the male at this time.
 
I was also happy to see that the Piney Island pair of osprey had returned and had started building a new nest on the top of the tower. The old nest was blown off by harsh winter winds, so the male was seen on the tower, with just a few sticks, and the female was just below, watching. The ospreys’ arrival is a week or so earlier than I had expected. Maybe spring really is just around the corner, since I also heard frogs croaking in the canal below the nest tower!
 
I will make one or two future reports this month, but just about the time of hatching, I will be birding in the Dry Tortugas and South Florida. I’ll be back in time for the April 16 eagle watch, at which time we hope to see brooding and feeding of eagle chicks!

The first eagle watch for this season is 10 a.m. Saturday, March 19. If you plan on attending, dress warmly, bring binoculars and be prepared to be outside for an hour or more. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area, just west of the Norman Wood Bridge on Route 372 on the York County shore of the Susquehanna River.

If you visit on your own, park in the parking lot of the Lock 12 Historic Area. From there, it is a 20-minute walk along McCall’s Ferry Road to the nesting site. You also may park in a small parking lot along the road about 300 feet south of the nesting site. It’s located near the large "river warning" sign. PPL asks all visitors to respect the nest and obey the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s "Do Not Enter" signs.