Mill workers at U.S. Steel Irvin plant construct peaceful solution for owl vs. eagle spat

After a great horned owl knocked a bald eagle off a branch near its nest at a Pittsburgh steel mill, workers at the company are trying to protect the once-endangered bird — by giving aid and comfort to its fellow raptor.

On wooded property that’s part of the U.S. Steel Irvin Works in West Mifflin, a bald eagle couple nests on a hillside below the mill. Through the three years of their residence, the steelmaker has taken steps to protect their habitat. Recently, the mill set up a live webcam with PixCams of Murrysville to show the majestic birds’ activity.

Sometimes nature provides the drama.

On Sunday night, a great horned owl — a large and fierce nighttime predator — knocked one of the mill eagles off its perch near the nest. The attack was captured on the webcam.

Last month, the webcam caught a great horned owl visiting the nest twice, jumping into the nest bowl and getting cozy.

“It was like Goldilocks went into the eagle nest,” said Don German, the mill’s plant manager.

The mill workers were worried that the owl was scoping out the eagle’s aerie for its own nest. The owl’s aggressive action Sunday night heightened the concerns.

“It was the talk of the mill,” German said. “We want to do what was ethical to keep our eagles safe, but great horned owls are a part of nature, too. The guys really got into it. We want to try to prevent this conflict again.”

So, seeking to address the root cause, the mill’s construction shop took action: Staff members built four nest platforms suitable for great horned owls.

By Tuesday, they had installed the potential new owl homes on plant property far away from the eagles’ nest. A bucket truck was used to place the platforms as high as 40 feet in wooded areas.

“Our thought was, if we can’t beat it at its own game, let’s give the owls some other nesting options,” German said.

The mill workers and eagle cam watchers will watch the saga unfold in the next month.

“We thank the crew from U.S. Steel for taking a proactive conservative approach to solving the great horned owl conflict at the eagle nest site,” said Bill Powers, owner of PixCams.

Great horned owls are breeding now, the first bird species in the region to kick off breeding for the year. Bald eagles run a little later.

Other eagle nest webcams across the country, including the nearby Pittsburgh Hays eagle webcam, have documented owls harassing eagles and sometimes taking over their nests.

The mill bald eagles laid their eggs the past two breeding seasons in early March. Both birds continue to tend to their nest, preparing to breed. They typically lay their eggs in February and March.

The U.S. Steel Irvin Works eagle webcam is available on PixCams.com.