Bird enthusiasts hope to see bald eagles rebuild nest after sudden collapse

NORTH PARK — Bald eagle enthusiasts are closely watching a couple in North Park, hoping the pair will rebuild a nest there after the previous one suddenly fell.

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“Once the nest fell, and they were both in it, we were in panic-mode,” said Howard Kepple of West Deer.

Kepple is the founder of a Facebook Group titled “North Park Bald Eagles,” which has garnered more than 10,000 followers.

The retired photographer discovered a passion for the majestic birds in recent years, and launched the page to document sightings in the Allegheny County park.

For several years, he and his followers watched a pair named “Ms. Rachel” and “Mr. Carson,” named for the trail that ran alongside their nest.

The couple left the park in late 2020, possibly scared off by observers who got too close, Kepple suspects.

Although they had previously laid eggs, the eggs never hatched. Their nest remained vacant for nearly six months.

But this spring, a new couple arrived, occupying the same nest.

“That was a thrill, especially whenever we saw them actually go to this nest and start working on it,” Kepple said. “We were delighted.”

Kepple and his Facebook friends patriotically named the couple “Mr. Stripe” and “Ms. Star.” People came from all over to see them.

But then, suddenly, one morning in October, the tree that held the nest fell over, taking their home down with it.

Kepple was a minute away from the park, and a friend phoned him with the news.

“He says ‘I took a picture, I looked down, I looked up, I heard a crash and it’s gone.’”

The observers saw Mr. Stripe fly up, but Ms. Star was nowhere to be seen.

Kepple grabbed gloves and a net, preparing to rescue Ms. Star. But as he neared the fallen tree, she flew up.

In recent days, the couple has been spotted around the park, and Kepple hopes they’re searching for a new spot to build a new nest.

“I, for one, would probably be the happiest person around!”

But to keep Mr. Stripe and Ms. Star around, Kepple is urging parkgoers to give them space.

He said a drone recently startled Ms. Star, who seems to be the more timid of the two birds.

“Don’t fly drones, don’t walk up and try to get a cell phone picture five feet away, you just can’t do that,” he said. “Usually, if you stay 150 feet away, they don’t mind it.”

If the eagles do in fact stay and build a new nest, Kepple and his followers hope to see eaglets.

“If they put a nest up, I’m sure they’re gonna try, and hopefully we do get a pair of eaglets out of it this Spring! We’re keeping our fingers crossed!”

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