So, yes the nest is visible (with binoculars) from the walking/bike trail that goes past Sandcastle in the Waterfront. Like NCanton found, the site I linked has some really cool information (scroll down). My oldest and I walked to see it a few times the summer of 2014 to observe the nest and the babies. If we're lucky and they successfully hatch some eaglets this year, it is a very easy, short walk from the Sandcastle parking lot. I knew nothing about bald eagles till this couple first arrived in Pittsburgh in 2013. They are massive and truly spectacular to see in person.
Without going into the whole story, eagles mate for life. This Mother/Father are relatively young (around 7-8, lifespan of 20-30 years). This is only their 4th year here. They successfully fledged 3 eaglets in 2014 which is quite unusual (normal is 1 or 2) and a testament to their parenting skills. No one is sure why both eggs cracked last year (on their own), but it is suspected the unbelievably prolonged cold temps played a part. Eagles like humans learn and already there are experts who have observed the nest this year and it appears larger and not so deep.
Lots of birds lay their eggs in Feb-March, like owls. This really isn't early in the large bird cycle.
(Edit: Another cool fact about eagles is that they share equally in parenting. Mom and Dad take turns sitting on the egg and both will go out and hunt when the eaglets hatch.)
We have become more interested in birds and had an Eastern Screech Owl nest in one of our boxes this past summer. It was amazing when suddenly we saw 2 heads pop out of the opening. In fact, almost the entire neighborhood stopped over to watch. We're hoping they return this year.
