Second eaglet falls out of nest, dies at Iroquois refuge
Press Release, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
Photo shows screenshot taken from Pixcams. The second and remaining chick is being fed.
BASOM – A second eaglet has died in the bald eagle nest being watched at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
The eaglet, the third chick to hatch, died at about the same age as the first one and in a similar manner.
In this case, the chick ended up falling out of the nest after getting going in the wrong direction.
“We are wondering if perhaps this being a newly built nest means it is shallower than most of the more established nests that are seen on cameras,” said Emma DeLeon, vice president of the refuge Friends group. “We could be seeing things happen that occur in nature regularly, but are not usually observed.”
The moderators of the eagle cam are sad about this unfortunate event but are rooting for INWR2, the second chick to hatch, who is still doing well.
INWR2 is almost twice as old as either of the chicks who died, so hopefully it is beyond the most dangerous phase.
“Please remember that what seems tragic to us is part of life for these eagles, and that the parents and remaining chick will continue on as before,” said DeLeon.
“Nature has its own way, and we can’t change that,” said Friends group President Richard Moss. “But we can continue to watch and learn from INWR2 and its parents.”
Egg 1 was laid on February 20, hatched April 1 and died April 6. Egg 3 was laid February 27, hatched April 7 and died April 12.
The remaining eagle chick was laid February 23 and hatched April 3, making it 10 days old today, or twice as old as its two siblings were when they died.
The Friends group’s Eagle Watches on Saturdays at the Cayuga Overlook are drawing a crowd — over 100 people this past weekend. And the Friends Facebook page, which tracks developments on the nest camera, has seen a dramatic increase in views and comments, Moss said.
A link to the bald eagle nest camera can be found at the Friends website, FINWR.org.
