After collapse, future of Hanover eagles' nest remains to be seen

It's a critical time for the Hanover eagles.

The future of the nest near Codorus State Park, where a popular Internet live stream has documented a pair of eagles for several years, could be in jeopardy after a partial collapse last week.

This is the fourth year the Pennsylvania Game Commission and HDOnTap have produced the live cam for dedicated viewers to watch nature in action.

RELATED:Hanover eagle nest collapses for second time in two years

But Mother Nature has a mind of her own, as viewers recently learned.

The nest partially collapsed between when the camera was turned off last June and before it returned in January, according to Travis Lau, communications director with the game commission.

This has occurred in the past, like when the nest collapsed after the failed 2016 season, and the eagles successfully rebuilt.

READ: After nest collpase, eagles will likely rebuild

However, part of the nest slipped away last week, as documented by a submitted video. It was the newly added portion the eagles had rebuilt since the last collapse.

"What's left right now isn't very big at all," Lau said.

The specific reason is unknown. Lau said the game commission noticed a crack near one of the nest's supporting branches two years ago but is uncertain if there is a connection.

The eagle matriarch typically lays her eggs around Valentine's Day, Lau said. On the live stream, the eagles appear to be working to rebuild the nest.

Because that date is approaching, it remains to be seen whether the eagle duo will stick with that nesting site.

"I don't know what kind of success they might have should they choose to nest in the nest as it is now," Lau said.

Whatever happens, the game commission has no plans to shut down the camera.

If the eagles move to another tree, the eagle cam will become a squirrel cam, Lau said. Like in years past, the game commission will turn off the cameras when "it gets to a time where it makes sense to shut it off" and depending on the number of viewers.

Eagle pairs experience successes and failures in nature, and the Hanover eagles' last two years are evidence of that. Two eaglets successfully fledged from the nest last year, while incubation failed in 2016.

There are "a lot of unanswered questions at this point," Lau said.

MORE:Looking back at the Hanover bald eagles' adventures in 2017