Thread: Birb
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Old 03-20-2018, 12:22 PM   #36
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
The female isn't returning, and now the snow arrives... it looks very grim for the nest the eggs won't stay viable, and even if the male manages to keep them, the igg-lets won't stay alive with just one parent minding them.

The game commission, on the update page, says

Quote:
While the Game Commission does not have a biologist on the ground in the area, it does appear that there may be another adult eagle around the nest. "Extra" bald eagles may be adults that have not yet paired up and claimed a territory; they may attempt to interfere with this pair in order to claim a mate or territory. With the population filling the available habitat in many parts of Pennsylvania, it would not be surprising to see some increase in nest failure as a result of these interferences and competition disrupting the care of nest and young. The big take-away lesson, bald eagles are well-adapted to Pennsylvania. They are well-adapted at selecting nest sites, building nests, and caring for eggs and young. This is one of the great lessons of the Game Commission’s bald eagle recovery effort and its annual monitoring of active eagle nests. As bald eagles are filling available habitat in some parts of the state, there will be some conflicts between competing eagles. We have never in modern history been witness to such conflict events and we will all learn as we go. In most conceivable circumstances, nature will be allowed to take its course without intervention. Should an injured eagle end up grounded, the Game Commission could facilitate it’s transfer to a licensed rehabilitation facility.
I just want to say, how amazing that is. The attack tells us that the eagle population has now recovered to the point where adults are fighting for their space.

20 years ago there weren't many of them in the area, and the spotting of a nesting pair was a big deal. So this is great news. It means the water has enough fish and the forest has enough wildlife for them to prey upon.
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