Like soap operas, 75 feet up: How bald eagle nest cams hook online communities

Animals Like soap operas, 75 feet up: How bald eagle nest cams hook online communities April 29, 20266:27 AM ET By  Ava Berger One of the Decorah, Iowa, bald eagles feeds its eaglets. The bald eagle livestreams allow viewers to watch the eagles from anywhere. Raptor Resource Project hide caption toggle caption Raptor Resource Project Sometimes, Gloria Gajownik wishes people acted more like bald eagles. Bald eagle families don't yell at each other (except for the occasional squawk), they don't criticize, and they seem kinder at times than humans, she said. And Gajownik, 71, would know. She has spent the last 15 years watching hours upon hours of bald eagle nest cameras. Starting in 2011, Gajownik has logged on to the livestream of a Decorah, Iowa, nest after dinner and been glued to the screen until she goes to bed. Now, she monitors a chat room, answering questions and helping track every movement of "mom and dad Decorah" and their two eaglets. She worked for years in the insurance industry, where some people loved their cars more than their families, so, Gajownik said, this is her passion. Sponsor Message "Eagle people — we're different," she said. Gajownik's immediate family members have died, but she is never alone with her bald eagles and her fellow eagle lovers. "Between the eagles and the people in the chat rooms, I feel like I have a big … extended family," she said. Spring is primetime for bald eagle nests. Depending on the region, eagles mate and lay eggs sometime in late winter or early spring. If the eggs hatch, the eaglets will fledge around 12 weeks later and start their own lives. Science This week in science: Eagles in Japan, the lives of deep-sea animals and 'SuperAgers' The livestreams allow anyone, anywhere, to watch the birds at any time. They are on screens in DMV waiting rooms, hospitals, workplaces and schools. Diligent eagle monitors, like Gajownik, track every movement of the birds, from their PS (poop shoots) to their feedings to couple...