Third year a charm for North Park Bald Eagle chicks?

The bald eagle pair known as Ms. Rachel and Mr. Carson have returned to North Park, presumably for a third attempt at nesting with courtship expected to ramp up later in the fall.

The pair have created buzz in the only Allegheny County park with an eagle’s nest. Although the pair have built a nest, they have not produced young in 2019 and 2020.

“Maybe a third time will be the charm,” said Howard Kepple, an avid photographer who started the Facebook group North Park Bald Eagles.

Kepple and another photographer, William B. Finlay III, have seen both eagles frequenting their nest and surrounding area since late August. Photographers and park personnel keep tabs on the birds’ whereabouts in the park area.

A third attempt might indeed work as this eagle pair, believed to be a younger couple, could still be learning, said Sean Murphy, state ornithologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Two years of failed nesting is not significant, he said.

“Maybe that pair might be figuring it out,” Murphy said.

There could be a number of factors causing the failed nesting.

“If their eggs were not viable, maybe one of them is not reproductively viable, maybe a great-horned owl got them, or maybe they aren’t incubating the eggs tightly,” Murphy said. “There’s a laundry list of what it could be.”

The fact they have returned to the nest area is a good sign and shows they intend to keep their breeding territory.

To visit North Park’s official viewing area for the eagles nest, visit the Eagle’s Nest Shelter along Kummer Road, near the ice skating rink.

To learn more about bald eagles in the park and upcoming programs, visit the North Park Bald Eagles Facebook page, as well as the Facebook pages of Friends of North Park and Friends of Latodomi.