Tragedy in the Hornby Island Bald Eagle Nest

May 11, 2009: Early this morning Echo, the second chick, somehow got entangled in Mom's feathers. Mom tried to release her, to no avail. Finally, she flew off, and when she returned, Echo was gone. Very sad.
Watch the live stream here:
www.hancockwildlifechannel.org...

[@msbadkittie]

so incredibly sad. you could hear the panic in mom’s voice. that poor little baby.

[@rosariodorta66]

this is very sad i have never heard a baby chick like this crying

[@whendeathdeclareswar7458]

The mother looked stressed walking around like that...helpless as

[@cachorro022]

nickys34 are you okay bud?

[@mapndo2337]

@C B Familylife I don't think it's a comeback douche....but since that other moron went off like that...???

[@mapndo2337]

@@cachorro022 lol there go them pent up frustrated conservatives....lol the real birdbrains

[@generalkweizr7091]

@@mapndo2337 How do you know that he's a conservative you braindead imbecile

[@jimmyandino1468]

Yes I know she's been so stressed 😫 very sad this is part I don't like to see but it's the wild not to interfere w mom Nature😔😔❤❤🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@kathleenmccaffery1313]

I've seen this happen b4.. One time the mom was able to successfully unleash the baby.. Another time the chick fell off out of nest when mom flew off.. Exactly like what happened here.. Thanks for sharing Hancock Wildlife 🦅 🙏🌹

[@InflatablePlane]

Poor little eaglet. The other one looks so cute though. I like how he’s staring around at everything.

[@nicolashunter4131]

this is nature,fucking dumbass

[@InflatablePlane]

@@nicolashunter4131 not necessary to be rude my dude.

[@ray817oneDEEP]

Rip

[@Butterfly-mt5ml]

You would think mom would at least try detangling the Eaglet by preening her feathers or something... I mean, surely she knows the difference between her feathers and her offsprings fuzz.. I guess it proves yet again how these magnificent birds are instinctually driven. Mom isn't "computed" to detangle nor is she computed to try helping it. Her only instinctually driven action is to not step on it with her amazingly sharp talons.. 😕 I'm surprised she didn't bring back the sibling for lunch.

[@vanleeuwenhoek]

Their optic nerves dwarf their brains.

[@breannemuhammad8637]

I saw the same thing happen at another nest but as soon as mom flew off the eaglet thankfully came free and was still safe in the nest. This prob happens more often than we would like to know

[@rellsta]

I just read about this... It must've been so hard for the live viewers to bare to watch another second. How awful, Hope, you have to live double great for your sibling!

[@nilsonaparecidoberaldo4138]

dá hora legal mesmo agradeço o esforço e a paciência daqueles que trabalha tanto nas filmagens e outros que participam para nos mandar esses vídeos 👍

[@WahdaMae]

A month later and this still breaks my heart....

[@jaidalovett2091]

Ten years later and me too

[@rojome3831]

Jaida Lovett-That’s nothing...think how the eaglet is feeling, ten years stuck to Mom!😉

[@karumaldumal1983]

Who the fck cares

[@Silver..]

​@@rojome3831 15 years later and me too

[@Shellbell1166]

Ohhh, that was heartbreaking to watch....she tried so hard to get the eaglet off of her to no avail...

[@carlwilliams6977]

Of all the perils eaglets face....Who would have thought?! This is why these cameras are so valuable!

[@mzgizz]

I agree ! Leave an area cleaner than when you were there !

[@mistyapril29]

Tree sap kind of likely

[@VENUSALIPETIT1]

OWWWW!! POOR BABY, THAT'S SO SAD :(

[@GlorytoHorses]

She was stuck to mom. No one really know how...some think she somehow got intangled in her feathers some how, some think a fishing line or something. Mom couldn't get the eaglet off of her so she flew off in attempt most likely to get echo off. When she returned she was gone. Meaning, the eaglet probably fell off somewhere when she was flying and fell to the ground to her death or very injured and was probably eaten by another animal. So sad. :'( But it's the circle of life.

[@GLING17]

I’m pretty sure the baby is already dead while mom was still in the nest. Look very closely, the baby is completely limp and lifeless. So sad. 😞

[@aserrin7aserran7]

Maybe Mom had something sticky on their feathers and that caused the problem. she was helpless. WOW.

[@somacruz7759]

The other chick is just chilling out the entire time.

[@pictureshow100]

so very very sad... poor mum so confused :(

[@silvercharm]

This is the thing about real life, and nature, that so many people have become disconnected from. While nature can offer spectacular, soul-shaking beauty and courage, we also have to be prepared for, at least deal with, unpleasantness and puzzling situations we can't control and understand. Let this spur more people on, to do more for wildlife and their habitats

[@murdechoc]

yeah, we will all die some day, and it's probably gonna be a shitty situation.

[@Grendelmonster8u]

We humans are part of nature. Unfortunate things like this happen to humans too. I'm not sure what you're saying because I don't think most people have some imaginary view of nature but it does sound like you are disconnected from humans and nature...that we are just other animals too. The tragic event in this video has nothing to do with humans, habitats, etc. Others who have said the baby probably had pine sap on it and stuck to the mother's feathers, are probably correct. That is a pine tree doing what pine trees do and the eaglet living on it. That's all and nothing more. Tomorrow you may trip on a rock and break your neck or any number of things.

[@barbaram5694]

Who's to say the bigger elder chick wouldn't attack and kill the smaller sibling in rivalry as happened on one video on this medium.

[@zolumpus]

My gosh,seems like with their strong beaks,the could of pulled out her own feathers to release the chick,or call to the mate for help.But,wild animals,birds in particular,won't get one out of a nest even if their in a box nest.They'll take care of the other ones while the baby runs around till it dies.Sad,but nature.

[@m.taylor]

it looks as if the eaglets body is looped through a tangled knot hole of the mother's feathers. The only way is to lift the eaglet out. She likely fell out when the mother was flying. Sad.

[@ancientswordfighters]

@HancockWildlifeFndn Did the eagle have a band on her leg?

[@sandragauder277]

So heartbrealing

[@jeanniek1498]

Oh this is so sad

[@DrFlippin]

trying to figure out how the eaglet was entangled; Could it have been Mom's leg band that ensnared some part of the eaglet?

[@donnarudy7289]

THAT WAS SO SAD....THAT'S LIFE IN THE WILD.

[@Sam-ko1lo]

Only because of man's stupidity

[@gyrperegrine]

Interesting, as a falconer, I have been around captive breeding. sometimes the parent will be wet, and when they touch the water freezes, it happens with an 80% mortality rate the first year. Just speculation tho

[@floydstinkyboy]

a very strange thing that happened.

[@GS-st9ns]

If it's hopeless, mom should just fly away and rest in peace baby

[@meezerlover]

What a sad thing to see.:-( I've been thinking & thinking what could have happened. Could there have been monofilament fishing line tangled up in the nest or stuck to the parents feet while catching fish in the water? You see lots of that stuff laying around from broken lines or people being careless and not cleaning up after themselves. I can't think of any thing else that might have tangled that chick like that to the parent.

[@jenbachelor]

@nehater Plus my heart is big enough that I can feel bad for the children AND the eagle. Sorry yours is so small.

[@joku8859]

So sad 😱💔

[@tennesseepatriot1950]

Poor mom was so upset!!

[@conniewatson4814]

It looks like pine sap got stuck on the baby and the momma feathers,. you can see the baby feet were dragging on the ground,... so sad... rest in peace little one... the momma panic ...

[@zenwall1]

agree, so sad

[@me57431]

I think the other baby eagle had some superglue.

[@gm1937]

I don’t think this was an entanglement I think the eagle may have had fish guts or oily mixture on her feathers and when she laid on the birds for an extended period of time it became dry like glue

[@KaraMizahFutbolHD]

good observation

[@fidelaromo6705]

Most likely

[@Gman6755]

The other chick says, " note to self, don't get tangled up in mom's feather.!"

[@marilyncatalano6478]

So not funny.

[@odessa3003]

Dont be silly !

[@caveman3251]

To me it is!

[@caveman3251]

To me it is!

[@thenelsons95]

How did I ever miss the hatch? When? Is the only chick that has hatched?

[@mr.sandman4498]

You have forsaken me mother

[@raymartsantiago8078]

so sad

[@jeffreythompson9184]

I've seen something like that happen to a mockingbird, she sat in some tree sap and then flew back to her nest and sat on her chicks untill it hardened and glued them together

[@chasebishop4580]

To kill a mockingbird

[@fidelaromo6705]

@@chasebishop4580 some people are brainless too, above is a good example

[@railfan1984]

That is crazy. Even if that bird had survived it couldn't have been in good shape after being dragged around by the mother like it was. Whatever did happen it was probably for the better.

[@tradingpost2472]

railfan1984 not for the chick that copped it!

[@scottgaremko9870]

Single sibling,more food

[@redcan5254]

The words Fluke and Weird come to mind ...

[@saracobello2600]

This breaks my heart what happens I don't understand why the baby stuck. Please help.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@angelamariapreuss]

@meezerlover Think about tree sap, bird do do, and lots of very sticky stuff in nature. Have you ever had the unfortunate event of getting pine sap or even bubble gum in your hair, you can't get it out without cutting or freezing.

[@lucyweidenboerner1198]

I can't believe she can't reach back and peck or pull off.

[@Tranquility32]

That's what I thought. I was thinking she might have an "instinct" to gingerly try to free her baby. : (

[@Iqbal_sibia]

Still sad to watch after all these years 🐣😢 ... mom tried so hard ☹

[@molsencanadian]

at the end: it's your turn son

[@angelicap2736]

So sad!

[@riverunner9978]

How tragic!

[@dananovak8610]

I raise chickens and it’s not unusual for chicks to get caught up in the hen’s feathers or stuck to them. They can get stuck to them because of sticky poop and remnants of the eggs they hatched from as well. Especially if there were any eggs that didn’t hatch and got crushed. I also agree with another possibility that they could have gotten stuck due to something she had hunted in the past making one or both of them sticky.

[@michellec473]

Poor thing. They have such hard lives just to get to this point

[@snorydr1978]

:-( Sad

[@usnva5638]

What had it stuck to the mother bird?

[@scottmontgomery4537]

Bizarre.

[@yywant-qb7om]

Poor little baby.

[@austin1839]

I see the remaining eaglet smiling. What did it do?

[@rod6666]

The remaining eaglet is thinking "wow, that super glue works!"

[@datdudecee6298]

"Hey Ma..why yo Doo-Doo look like my brother"

[@MammaBear]

Oh my how sad

[@BartCoppens]

FISHING LINE.... fucking fishing line. I've seen wild ducks entangled in it. Dear fishers, don't leave that shit behind.

[@user-ri5qz4ey8x]

Вот беда приключилась с птенчиком. Жаль!

[@jenn8k69]

Yes, fishing line makes sense. Gah! So sad!

[@sigmundc]

Am sad

[@rranish2963]

Very good

[@ExploringUSA]

Tears

[@juanida1955]

So sad! Why did I see this. Why?

[@msb4526]

Did it get unstuck???

[@Foundinthewoodsbushcraft]

So sad....the one left looks so cute. He needs a hair brush. 😫 He's so cute with those beady eyes.

[@sfstucco]

@aserrin7aserran7 Yes... That's what I've thought. ....The chicks poop into the bowl at the age of that little one, and I wonder if poop had dried & stuck the chick to Mom's feathers. ): Poor Mom couldn't figure it out.

[@renzoe.v9484]

How can you get stuck by feathers?

[@simac89]

where are the other 2 eaglets?

[@Niceboy25000]

the baby may stucked in its mom"s claw

[@user-ri5qz4ey8x]

Здравствуйте уважаемые сотрудники этого гнезда! Что произошло с Орлицей? Всё ли благополучно, и кто к ней прицепился? Напишите пожалуйста, очень хочется знать.

[@tatianaa6917]

Любовь, я не сотрудник, но вижу, что никто пока не ответил вам. Это уже давняя история, май 2009, и камера зафиксировала смерть птенца по имени Эхо. Он по непонятным причинам запутался в перьях мамы или папы. Ну и погиб конечно. Есть версии, что приклеился к засохшему мясу, или в перьях запутался рыболовный крючок, а птенец на него накололся. Еще говорят, что крылышко малыша попало между перьями маминого хвоста. Корочен, куда не глянь, везде печаль. Орлица наверное нормально, вон у нее еще малыш в гнезде, требовал внимания.

[@user-ri5qz4ey8x]

Tatiana A спасибо большое за информацию.

[@TheDrakulie]

why didn't you go over there and catch it ??

[@davoodehajiraj]

Mum try to go close to the other chick to see if he /she can do something ,

[@sardu55]

Don't know the backstory here but it's clear from watching that the eaglet in the nest was a future alpha bird. Eagles eyes give them away, the sharper the better it is at catching food and prospering. This guy is already focused on nest level but also above the nest as his eyes follow his eagle relative up into the air with his unfortunate sibling stuck to its leg. Wonder if they ever figured out what caused this to happen. Someone mentioned the female possibly having something sticky from hunting on its legs.

[@vanleeuwenhoek]

How exactly does that term apply to a solitary hunting bird?

[@lisahansen8301]

Anthropomise

[@NoeleSewell]

The eaglet could have been stuck with part of the yolk, poop or whatever, the mom tried desperately to get the eaglet off but she has no hands, what she was doing was scraping it on sticks, hovering, anything to get it loose. Its tragic it really is.

[@gregthegroove]

Birds can reach anywhere on their body with their beaks. The adult could’ve simply picked at the feather or picked at the eaglet and pulled it off. They are notorious for being dumb pretty much if they have to figure out something that happens out of the ordinary. Horrible at that. Great providers, protectors, hunters, loyal for life but presented with having to figure something out, dumb as rocks. Even just waiting there on the nest until the mate comes back to figure it out is the best option. You’d think it would know not to fly off!

[@aroperatorsalliancelocal1528]

Take. These broken wings.......

[@LOL_Garrus]

And learn to fly again, learn to be so free.

[@louann4992]

Ar Operators Alliance, Local 15-10 , Oh geez, thanks a lot. 😞 now I got that song in my head . over&over. Lol

[@eddyg7236]

I believe I can fly

[@edwardclaros1287]

Yankis malditos

[@andreak3294]

Tht made me seriously laugh so hard 😂

[@starter47990]

So what happened to the eaglet?

[@laplumeebouriffee4037]

Does it know that the eyass is stuck its feathers ?

[@lydiastinson6169]

I don't understand what's going on why is the baby stuck

[@flaviusnita6008]

Cause: resin from the trees... I had a problem like this!!!

[@mohfiroz7700]

Correct, good finding.

[@brianjensen5661]

@Frida Pavlaski no not like this it doesn't

[@Paiadakine]

What are the odds?

[@huseyincojcuk5994]

Eagle=where you sis:sis 2=im here i glued you

[@sosababy583]

RIP

[@vatodiablo2355]

good thing they cant talk...coz explaining that to dad would be a bummer

[@ekron4785]

First time a see an eagle giving birth

[@twilightstar5694]

The heck is it stuck on?

[@lepsonical4763]

It sounds like someone trying to get another's attention by whistling.

[@asepsundanese]

Why did it happen?

[@Zstrong2099]

Cuando la madre regresa a cuadro por primera vez. El aguilucho ya está muerto. ☹️. Qué pasó?🤔🤔🤔

[@rasheedmatt5982]

What happened???

[@Harris.S]

It's sad

[@DSP_Gaming0]

What was going on In this video?

[@rojome3831]

🎼🎶 Oh, we ain't got a barrel of fishes, being separated is what our wish is, but we will fly around by sap we are bound...side by side 🎶🎼

[@nyg1984]

How the hell?!?!?!

[@jakehellotown1458]

What happens😰

[@lexsears216]

It's time for the 10th anniversary of Echo's sibling... How's our baby doing?

[@mysticoversoul]

How did that happen?

[@troy3933]

Hizo como velcro , la madre y el hijo y no se despegaban

[@virgilnanaquewitung2272]

What and where is the tragedy????

[@QueenB28348]

Me: coming to the comments immediately to see what I’m getting myself into😂