Eagle family with a soap opera-esque past is doing well.
Another chapter of As the Aerie Turns has commenced this month for the famous Standley Lake Eagle pair. On April 7, the proud parents hatched their first eaglet of the season. While the female had laid two eggs, only one hatched, just like last year, but it is eating a ton and growing every day.
The Standley Lake eagle drama was quite the storyline that only Mother Nature could write, and it continues this year.
Female eagle F420 made her move last year to drive out the female of a fairly longstanding eagle pair who was well-known to nest at Standley Lake. She succeeded and took over a nest with two viable eggs. One hatched but didn't survive.
This type of drama isn't entirely unheard of in the eagle world. Females who are not paired off have been known to usurp a nest and take over in their search for a breeding partner. It is hoped that the original eagle female was able to pair off and start a new nest, though her whereabouts are still unknown.
The new eaglet is getting stronger each and every day thanks to the diligence of its parents. Through rain and snow and sun, the eagle pair has been ensuring its little one's survival the best they can.
"Eaglets are fed 1-8 times a day. The parents carry prey to the nest to feed their young. They feed their chicks by tearing off pieces of food and holding them to the beaks of the eaglets. The parents tear off bits of prey and feed them directly, bill to bill," said the Standley Lake Park's Facebook page.
Check out the video of the young eaglet feeding below.
To watch the eagles and learn more, visit Standley Park's live cam here. You can also visit Standley Lake Park's Facebook page for more updates.
Have you been following the eagle drama over the last year? Share your thoughts in the comments.