Eaglet heads poke above the top of their nest in 2023. Fingers crossed for a repeat in 2024. (Will County Forest Preserve / Chad Merda)

All signs are pointing to another successful year of bald eagle mating in Will County.

After reporting five eaglet hatchlings from two nests in 2023, officials with the county’s forest preserve district have confirmed at least one of four active eagle nests has a couple sitting on eggs.

It’s not known how many eggs are present, but bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs, officials said. The nest in question has been the site of 11 eaglet hatchings since 2019.  

The other three nests are being monitored for activity.

Longtime Will County forest preserve volunteer Joel Craig observed the female eagle hunkering low in the nest, in classic incubating style. 

The incubation period is approximately 35 days and wildlife officials would expect to see little eaglet heads popping into view two weeks after hatching.

Nests are reused year after year, typically until they either collapse under their own size or until their weight — up to 1,000 pounds — breaks the host tree.  

Eagles and their nests are federally protected. Because human interference could cause the eagles to abandon their nests and eggs, the forest preserve district never discloses nesting locations. Anyone who stumbles upon a nesting site should maintain a distance of at least a football field’s length.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]