A violent windstorm tore through Shepherdstown, West Virginia, leaving heartbreak in its wake. At the heart of the devastation was the iconic bald eagle nest at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), home to three four-week-old eaglets watched by thousands via the center’s livestream. The nest collapsed from its 90-foot perch, killing all three chicks instantly.

The eaglets had hatched weeks earlier, born to Bella and Scout, a bonded eagle pair familiar to the center’s longtime followers. Their nest, built in 2003, had become a staple of the NCTC Eaglecam, which has broadcast the family’s life to viewers since 2005.

"After 22 years, the bald eagle's nest at the USFWS National Conservation Training Center is gone," the center announced in a statement shared by PEOPLE.

A powerful storm destroyed a bald eagle nest at the NCTC in West Virginia.

Sudden Gusts Leave No Chance

The evening had been calm—no rain, no hail, nothing to suggest danger. But then came the burst. Around 10 p.m., a wall of wind estimated at 75 mph struck the tree, violently uprooting the massive structure and sending it hurtling to the ground. An anemometer in nearby Hagerstown, Maryland, clocked the gusts at precisely the time the nest vanished from the livestream feed, according to Yahoo News.

Randy Robinson, an outreach coordinator with the center, said he and a colleague found the eaglets beneath the tree.

“The strong winds blew the nest apart — it was scattered across the ground,” he told News and Sentinel. “It was pretty much obliterated.”

Mother eagle Bella was in the nest at the time of the collapse and escaped “at really the last microsecond,” Robinson told PEOPLE. Her survival is remarkable. But for the eaglets, who were still weeks away from learning to fly, there was no chance.

The nest had stood in the same sycamore tree for 22 years.

More Than Just a Nest

The NCTC nest wasn’t just a patch of twigs—it was a touchstone. According to KTTC, the original eagle pair began construction in 2003. Since then, the nest has successfully fledged approximately 45 eaglets, each watched and cherished by a growing online community. Many fans posted emotional messages on Facebook in the aftermath.

“They were a bright part of my day,” one wrote.

Another said, “To watch an eagle family daily, unite, grow, and bond is a blessing in itself.”

For some, this loss felt deeply personal.

"These beautiful creatures were part of our everyday lives," a longtime viewer commented on the center's post. For them, the loss went far beyond wildlife.

Three four-week-old eaglets died in the 90-foot fall.

Hope Below the Branches

While the original nest is gone, not all hope is lost. As WV News noted, Bella and Scout had already constructed a second nest about 15 feet lower in the same sycamore tree last year. That structure sustained only minor damage.

The NCTC said it is “hopeful the eagle pair will use this new nest to raise their young next season,” as reported by Yahoo News. Already, Bella and Scout have returned to the lower nest and begun reinforcing it.

Their parents, Bella and Scout, survived the storm.

Looking Ahead, Together

The storm took three fragile lives and ended a long era of nesting in that upper branch, but it did not take the pair's resilience—or the devotion of those who watch them. The nest may have fallen, but the bond between the eagles and their human admirers remains strong.

As one staff member told KTTC, “We all look forward to continuing new seasons of life at the NCTC nest.” In Shepherdstown, hearts are heavy, but eyes are still on the tree—waiting, hoping.