I received this email yesterday from the DNR-- I think trying to prepare people for .. any unfortunate events that might happen to the smallest chick. Thanks for all the great pics.
April 10, 2020
Hungry Chicks
Life can be brutal in the wild
Evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin called it survival of the fittest. The natural world has a way of adapting to its environment. An animal's behavior, strengths, and physical characteristics are a reflection of its biology, as well as its environment. An individual animal's survival isn't a matter of nature versus nurture; nature and nurture together determine the survival of the animal, and the species.
What this means is that the strongest individuals survive and pass on to their offspring the genetic material that gave them survival advantages. Even if an animal was born with an advantageous genetic make-up, it still needs to withstand the harsh environment it's born into.
We have witnessed the challenging conditions that the eggs, and then the chicks have had to live through to get to this point. It's not easy being raised in a nest 100 feet off the ground, in a wet, cold, windy and sometimes snowy nest of sticks and grass.
From now on, the eaglets need to survive each other and defend themselves, as well as dealing with a harsh environment. They are born with strong survival and territorial instincts. The larger chicks pick on the smaller ones. They can really bash on each other's heads, and that's difficult to watch. This behavior toughens up the smaller chick, or it kills it. If it does survive, it means that chick will carry on the genetics of resilience and durability to its own offspring, thereby helping the bald eagle population stay robust and healthy into the future.
There may be brutal moments ahead, dramatic scenes in the nest that, over the coming weeks, some people may prefer not to watch. This is real nature, not Disney. As the siblings compete for food, their instincts make them fight each other to get bites. This fighting behavior can be tough to watch, but it helps them grow into strong adults who will be capable of fending off predators as well as other eagles. Sometimes the youngest chick does not live to fledging (leaving the nest). This has happened in our nest twice before. The youngest chick died because it was not strong enough to endure the competition for food. One year, the dead chick was fed to its siblings. It became a food source that provided the two surviving chicks with protein and all of the nutrients eagle chicks need for growth. If even one chick survives, the species continues. Watch at your own discretion in the coming days, understanding that this is just how nature works.
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Topic: MN Nongame Wildlife Eagle Cam (Read 221510 times)