HINTON, W.Va. -- If the arrival of spring signals a time of birth and renewal, springtime came a day early to the New River Gorge on Friday, when the first offspring from the first documented bald eagle nest in Southern West Virginia were seen for the first time.

From a cliffside vantage point a quarter mile away, a downy pair of newly hatched eagle chicks could be seen wobbling their way around the nest and being beak-fed bits of prey by their mother. Their father could be seen standing sentry on a nearby limb, or hunting for more food in the form of ducks in the nearby New River.

The nest is located in a sycamore tree on an island downstream from Hinton, within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River. The nest and its two adult occupants were discovered in December. A group of 15 volunteer birders has spent more than 150 hours monitoring the eagles' activities. They managed to keep the island aerie secret until now, to limit human presence in the area until the breeding season had ended.

"We've got a couple of little bobble-heads in there," said one of the volunteers, Wendy Perrone, director of the Three Rivers Avian Center, as she eyed the eagle chicks through a high-powered spotting telescope on Friday morning. The two adult eagles had been seen sharing egg incubation duties at the nest for several weeks following mating activity observed in early February.

But two days ago, the eagle watchers noticed behavior changes in the 4-year-old female, who observers named Streaky, due to a mascara-like smudge near her eyes. "Streaky changed from a calm, sit-on-eggs mom into a very agitated, almost neurotic mom," Perrone said. "We thought something might be up with the eggs beginning to hatch."

While watching Streaky and her mate, Whitey, observers have learned much about bald eagles.

"I thought they built their nests with sticks they picked off the ground," said Perrone. "But they were breaking small branches off trees, really putting their body weight into it, to snap them off. Then they dug through the snow to pick up big wads of dry grass for lining material. It's amazing how much stuff they put in their nests."

In early February, an immature bald eagle flew past the pair's island and Whitey immediately engaged it in an aerial turf war that included a midair talon-to-talon duel. The younger bird flew away in search of uncontested territory.

Jim Phillips, the naturalist at Pipestem Resort State Park, discovered the nest three months ago, while driving on the access road to the New River Gorge's Sandstone Falls.

"I was taking my dog out for a walk at the falls when I saw two eagles sitting on a branch," he said. While returning from Sandstone, Phillips made it a point to look for the eagles again.

"I saw one of them standing up in a nest," he said. "I couldn't believe it. I've hiked, pedaled bikes and paddled canoes all over this part of the state for years looking for bald eagle nests, and I see one right out the window of my truck."

Discovery of a nest and young eagles in the New River Gorge area has been something of a quest for Phillips, who has been coordinating annual bald eagle-sighting forays here for five years, convinced that nesting activity is occurring.

"Bald eagles have been seen year-round in this part of the state since 2003," he said. "An eagle nest was found in 2002, but bald eagles were never seen occupying it. We started doing one-day bald eagle surveys in January five years ago, and added a March survey during nesting time three years ago."

During the March survey this year, 19 bald eagles were spotted. "We've been seeing so many immature eagles, it seems likely there could be another nest or two in the area," Phillips said.

The Pipestem naturalist said that when his wife learned he had finally discovered an active bald eagle nest after years of searching, she joked, "Well, your life's over, now."

 But Phillips said he plans to enjoy monitoring the activities of the young eagles and their parents. He also said it is satisfying to see the belief in the presence of nesting eagles in the New River Gorge area validated.

"It's time to break out the cigars," he said. "It's great to confirm that they're here, and I'm really going to enjoy watching them."

It remains to be seen whether the New River Gorge eagles will remain in the area year-round or spend winters elsewhere. If they migrate southward or travel east to the Chesapeake bay later this year, it seems likely they will return to their New River nest.

"Bald eagles have been known to use the same nests for as long as 35 years," Perrone said.

About 20 pairs of bald eagles nest in West Virginia annually, with varying degrees of successful reproduction. Most of the nesting West Virginia eagles live in the Eastern Panhandle, along the Potomac River and its headwater streams in the northeastern mountains, or at scattered sites along the Ohio River in the northern portion of the state. The New River nesting site, found at the south end of the New River Gorge National River, is by far the state's southernmost bald eagle nest.

The creation of Bluestone Lake helped provide the habitat for waterfowl and larger fish favored by bald eagles, once they rebounded from near extinction following widespread use of the now-banned pesticide DDT during the middle of the past century. Presence of DDT in the food chain inhibited the development of eggshells strong enough to remain intact through incubation. In 1963, only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles could be found in the lower 48 states.

A ban on DDT and special protective policies mandated by including the bald eagle on the endangered species list helped the national symbol rebound. In 1995, the bald eagle's status was downgraded from an endangered to a threatened species.

Creation of the New River Gorge National River, a unit of the National Park Service, in 1978, helped restore and preserve habitat for threatened or endangered species like the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon.

"It's really exciting to see that the ecosystem has recovered enough, and the habitat is healthy enough, to host a once-endangered species like the bald eagle," said Scott Stoneham, a National Park Service wildlife biologist at New River Gorge National River. "We knew that breeding in the area was likely, but it was fantastic to have it confirmed here. We really appreciate the many hours and considerable work volunteers have done to monitor the nest."

"It really makes you feel good that they chose this place, right here in the New River Gorge, to build their nest," Perrone said. "Now, we get to watch the young eagles grow up and learn to fly."

Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5169.