Seven Eaglets Confirmed In Will County: Forest Preserve

WILL COUNTY, IL — Seven eaglets have hatched in four active Bald Eagle nests, the Forest Preserve District of Will County shared.

The forest preserve said the first eaglets that hatched are getting "a lot bigger and more visible," and confirmed that at least one eaglet has hatched in the final nest it was awaiting confirmation on.

Kara Morales, the field trip chair for the Will County Audubon Society, was able to get eyes on the eaglet at this particular nest over the weekend, the preserve said in a release.

The adult spent a good amount of time tearing apart flesh from some prey and feeding it to the eaglet. This particular eaglet is still fairly small and hard to see in the nest since it is the most recent one to hatch, according to the preserve.

Eagle nests are generally 4 to 5 feet wide, and 2 to 4 feet deep. Nests are used year after year and require some maintenance prior to each nesting season, according to the preserve. Eagles will usually keep building on the nest until it gets too big, and it collapses, or the weight of it breaks the tree.

Bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs and one of the nests the preserve monitors has produced 11 offspring since 2019.

This year's new arrivals will further increase the local eagle population because they won't stray too far from home.

Joel Craig, a longtime Forest Preserve volunteer and Will County Audubon Society member, said in a release that an increasing number of immature bald eagles in the winter indicates the ones we're seeing now are residents and not migrants. It's also evidence that we have good, clean water and a healthy fish population to support them year-round.

"To see eagles rebound like they have in this area in the past 10 years has been pretty exciting," Craig said in a release. "To be threatened and endangered when I was a kid to what we’re seeing now, it's really a population explosion in our area over the past few years."

"They're just such majestic birds, it's hard not to be in awe of them," he said. "To continue to watch the nests over the years has been fascinating."

The forest preserve does not disclose the location of nests to the public, as the eagles and their nests are federally protected, and human interference could cause the eagles to abandon their nests and eggs.

The National Audubon Society recommends being at least 330 feet away from a nest. That's about the length of a football field. If you should come across a nest, be sure to keep your distance.