Hanover bald eagle lays first egg of the season

The bald eagles in Codorus State Park near Hanover are tending to their first egg of the season.

The female eagle, nicknamed Liberty, laid the egg at approximately 5:07 p.m. Tuesday.

Bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs each nesting season. The male and female then take turns incubating the eggs, which take about 35 days to hatch under proper conditions.

After young bald eagles take their first flight, they spend another four to 12 weeks in the nesting area.

A live video of the nest can be seen on the HDOnTap website.

Last year’s nesting season proved unsuccessful for the Hanover pair. The nesting birds were attacked multiple times by another adult bald eagle, which interfered with the incubation process. Both eggs in the nest failed to hatch.

But in 2017, both eggs in the nest hatched, and both eaglets fledged.