Eagles on Hilton Head live stream get closer to their eaglet’s hatching. When will it happen?

Blink and You’ll Miss It: Hilton Head Eagles Prepare for Hatching Season

Hold your breath, bird enthusiasts! The hatching season is upon us, and our two feathered friends, Gracie and George, are eagerly anticipating the ‘pip’ – the first crack in the eggshell – as their two eggs begin to hatch. From February 7, eagle-eyed fans worldwide will tune into the Hilton Head Island Land Trust’s eagle cam, ready to catch the first sign of a new eaglet breaking through.

Gracie laid her two little treasures on January 3 and 7. Since then, she and George have been taking turns sitting on the eggs, ensuring they stay warm and cozy. This is their first season on the eagle cam, but the pair has been nesting at an undisclosed location for about 13 years. Last year, they were proud parents of three eggs, with two little ones successfully fledging, or flying away from the nest.

In about 35 days, the eggs will start hatching, and the ‘pip’ should appear within the next week. It takes a day or so for the eaglet to break out of its shell. Meanwhile, Gracie and George will start building a food stockpile, preparing for their hungry new arrivals.

"Before they’re even fully out, the food pantry starts to build," says Robin Storey, President of the land trust. "The male will start bringing fish into the nest, so there’s food ready when that little one is ready to eat, and they eat pretty soon."

From there, the eaglets will grow about half a pound each week until they’re nine weeks old. At five weeks, they’ll start standing and tearing their own food. By eight weeks, they’ll be stepping out onto branches and preparing for their big takeoff.

While the eagle cam is new this season, the land trust’s original raptor camera is still running, but its nest is sadly empty. After sustaining damage from Hurricane Helene, it hasn’t housed any birds since. But there’s hope – ospreys might start restoring the nest when they begin nesting in February.