A month of faithful care by bald eagle parents has led to a chick hatching with a “promising start” in West Virginia.
Then, the father demonstrated “unexpected behavior.”
Fans of the mating pair of bald eagles monitor the nest on a live eagle cam broadcast via the National Conservation Training Center. Viewers know the couple as Bella and Scout.
Bella laid three eggs between Feb. 27 and March 4, and the eggs typically incubate for 35 to 38 days, according to the conservation center.
One egg broke and the other two were briefly left to incubate as the bald eagle’s parents had to chase away young eagles that encroached on the nest, authorities said. Still, advocates were hopeful that the remaining eggs would be viable and hoped to see them hatch in early April.
Finally, on the evening of April 7, a small hole appeared in the egg indicating that the bird was trying to free itself. On the morning of April 8, an eaglet emerged from its shell.
Bella gave her baby fish for her first meal around 5 p.m., then Scout returned to the nest a few hours later, the conservation center said in an April 9 news release.
But Scout, who was probably experiencing her first mating season, did something surprising.
“Although rare in this nest, the young male (around 4.5 years old) appeared confused,” the experts said. “He was hard on the eagle and eventually devoured the newborn.”
Those who followed the couple’s journey were dismayed by the outcome.
“I haven’t been able to see much eagles this year, but I logged in last night just in time to fall in love with the eagle for a few minutes, then… . . shock and horror,” one Facebook user wrote. “Hugs to all the loyal eagle watchers at NCTC. Even though we know it’s nature, it’s still traumatic and we’re still heartbroken.
A bald eagle’s average diet consists of fish and dead animals, but it has sometimes been known to eat its own young, according to authorities.
“Bird behavior is complex and determined by their hormones and instincts,” conservationists said in the statement. “It is best not to think of birds of prey in human terms and to have human emotions. Bald eagles are naturally predatory and aggressive; it’s the only way for them to survive.
The bald eagle’s parents, especially the mother, diligently incubated the eggs, even in rain and severe thunderstorms, the video shows. Footage captured after the chick’s death shows both parents leaving their third and final egg in the nest without incubation.
Bald eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but chicks can have high mortality rates due to problems with humans, lack of food or diseases.
“Nature can be both wonderful and very harsh,” conservationists said.
The nest is at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ National Conservation Training Center, about a 75-mile drive northwest of Washington, DC.
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