There's a bald eaglet in the Mon Valley Irvin Works nest

It’s a hatch!

It’s official. Meet USS 7.

The first eaglet at the U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant nest hatched just before 11 a.m. Sunday.

Don German was just one day off on his prediction for the first bald eagle egg’s pip, a tiny hole or crack made by the chick as it starts to emerge and breathe. The PixCams on the Irvin Works nest announced in its livestream chat that the pip happened at 5:31:19 p.m. Saturday.

Plant manager German, who had been betting on Sunday, and so many others have been watching the live cam closely since pip watch began on Thursday. He believes the second egg’s pip may occur Thursday at 8:14 a.m. Many of the faithful will be watching the livestream and posting updates there and on the Steel City Eagles Facebook page. We’ll keep tabs on it through this week.

Incubation of the eggs, which parents Claire and Irvin have been handling competently throughout and despite the rain and cold, snowy weather, normally takes between 34 and 41 days.

USS 7, born to bald eagles Irvin and Claire, is seen in their nest near U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant, on Sunday, April 7, 2024, the day it was born. USS 7 is the seventh successful hatch at the nest. A second egg that arrived four days after USS 7 remains and is expected to hatch any day. (Bald Eagle Cam)

Helen Fallon

Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.