If any of you checked the list of websites I like, I hope you have visited the eagles of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It has been fascinating to watch the eagles incubate the eggs, watch the eggs hatch, and watch the eaglets which are now approximately 5 weeks old. There is so much I didn't know about bald eagles, or birds in general. First off, I didn't know how attached I could become. The moderators answering questions are phenomenal as well. I had this on daily in my classroom, and would come on and watch more eagles in the evening. I was addicted, particularly around the time they were hatching.
Unfortunately, yesterday morning the female eagle was killed by an airplane. The gardens are right next to the Norfolk airport. Ironically, the female's first mate a few years ago was killed by an airplane. She found her current mate within the year, and have been successful parents. The male was flying with the female, but was able to avoid the plane.
The male was bringing the eaglets food and feeding them, but it was determined by biologists that he was just not going to be able to keep up with their demand, as they are going to triple in size within the next month, and they wanted to intervene before the eaglets' health suffered. How wonderful it was to be able to watch on the live cam the eaglets being taken by the biologists. It offered some closure to such a grim situation.
I have not seen it, but based on viewer comments the male has returned to the nest with fish, for his youngsters. Obviously he does not understand what is wrong, but did take some bites of the fish himself. No one knows how long they will keep the camera going, but I encourage you to take a look, and maybe take a peek about the story behind these amazing birds.
I share with so many people as we grieve for these birds, though laugh as they have no clue they are being watched by the world. But I look forward to hopefully seeing a new pair bring new life into this world. I encourage all.
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