WARSAW, N.Y. (WKBW) — Steven Ott has been closely watching a bald eagle’s nest in his backyard for the past few years.
“We’ve got one sitting here, and we can see out our living room window; it’s pretty cool,” Ott said.
The nest has been a feature of the Ott family's backyard for four years, catching their attention after Steven retired and had more time to observe the eagles. A friend suggested installing a webcam, allowing people worldwide to join in on the experience.
In collaboration with PixCams.com, a wildlife livestream company, the couple set up the camera in December, running more than 300 feet of wiring to connect it to Wi-Fi. Now, viewers can get a bird’s eye view of the bald eagle couple, affectionately named York and Oreo by Patsy’s students.
“It’s exciting to see them lay the eggs, and then they sit on them for 36 days, and nothing happens, it’s just kind of boring,” Ott said. “Now we’re all on you. The numbers are going up and up to see when we can first spot that little bobbly gray head stick up.”
On Tuesday, viewers were treated to an incredible surprise when a recently hatched eaglet appeared in the live stream. York and Oreo are now parents, and they hope two more eaglets hatch soon.
Bald eagles mate for life and can live up to 30 years. After experiencing years of decline, the birds of prey have made a strong comeback, with hundreds of breeding pairs in New York state producing many young each year.
The livestream serves more than just entertainment purposes.
“The education part of this is a big part of what we’re doing," Ott said. “I think I learn something every day. You’re chatting amongst people and talking, and it’s very educational.”
Since going live in December, the Eagle Cam has garnered over 60,000 views.
“Less than four months ago, we would have never guessed it was what it is right now,” Ott said.
He expressed gratitude for the live stream's reach.
“People are on there talking about it, and you don’t realize they’re in California somewhere," He said. "It’s not just local people; the whole worldwide internet is cool.”
