Shiloh Park bald eagles return, lay egg

Feb. 8– Shiloh’s most famous wildlife residents have laid their first egg to begin another nesting season, Shiloh National Military park Superintendent Woody Harrell announced today.

"A camera system was installed Feb. 3 in order to monitor the progress of Shiloh Battlefield’s nesting pair of bald eagles. On the morning of Tuesday, February 8, it confirmed that Hiram and Julia–Shiloh’s eagle pair, who is named after General Ulysses Grant and his wife–have an egg in the nest," Harrell said.

The eagles made Shiloh their home in the fall of 2007, and have since successfully raised four eaglets in their residence at the park. However, not all nesting seasons have been successful for the eagles.

Last year on May 8, Hiram and Julia’s two young eaglets, only six weeks old, were found dead at the base of their nest tree. The cause of their death was undetermined.

Despite this loss, the eagle pair was back at their nest doing repairs as early as September, and has now officially begun their fourth consecutive nesting season.

"The bald eagles have one egg in the nest, but it will most likely not be the only one laid," Harrell added. "In their three previous nesting seasons, Hiram and Julia have always hatched two eaglets, and this year we are anticipating two as well."

Live feed from the eagle camera is not currently accessible to the public. It is tentatively scheduled to be available to the viewing public in the Shiloh Battlefield Visitor Center by the end of the week.