Standley Lake CO. (Westminister)From Facebook page. Eagle calendar updated. "It is with profound sadness that we share with all of you that the two eaglets (SL2 and SL3) at Standley Lake have perished. They were approximately 2-3 weeks old, easily visible above the nest rim, had been eating fine and were very well-cared for by their parents. This past week, we noticed that there was no activity at the nest. F420 was seen feeding herself, but was not offering food to anything in the nest, which seemed odd. No eaglets were seen during 4 different observations over a 24-hour period. The parents had been seen at the nest tree, but were not spending any time on the nest, which means they were no longer tending to eaglets. In coordination with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, a ground search was conducted in hopes of finding an eaglet carcass to submit for necropsy, but none was found. Without a carcass and the opportunity to do testing, there is no way for us to know how or why the eaglets died. This is heartbreaking for all of us. After the tragic loss of last year’s eaglet, we had really hoped for a successful nesting season. F420 and Dad are most certainly doing their own grieving, but we know from experience how resilient these eagles are. We are grateful that this pair continues to make their home at the Park, where we can watch them live their lives. We wish them a healthy and safe off-season and look forward to what we hope will be many future nesting successes.
Photo and additional information provided by Kirsten Chapman, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. All rights reserved. Photo credit: Kirstin Chapman, volunteer with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.