EagleCam shows heavy winds blow nest from tree; eaglet dies

@ap.news In this video screenshot from Minnesota’s EagleCam provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, an eagle hunkers down in its nest while being battered by strong winds in Ramsey County, Minn., Sunday, April 2, 2023. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Viewers of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources EagleCam were heartbroken over the weekend.

The nature live stream captured the moment when strong winds from a severe weather system whipped an eagle’s nest out of a tree Sunday morning. The nest was holding a newly hatched eaglet. The young eagle was later found dead on the ground.

State officials said the nest probably fell because recent heavy snow just became too much for the branch to handle.

The EagleCam has mesmerized viewers for years. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says people from 180 countries and every U.S. state had tuned in to the EagleCam to watch other eaglets hatch three years ago in the same nest.