Eaglets removed from Norfolk nest after mother's death

NORFOLK

All that remained was an empty nest swinging in the wind Wednesday after three baby eagles were taken away to receive special care.

On Tuesday, their mother was struck and killed by an airliner heading into Norfolk International Airport. Though their father was feeding the 5-week-old eaglets, biologists were concerned that he would not be able to keep up with their care.

"The amount of food they will require as they grow will increase exponentially, likely exceeding the hunting capacity of even the most capable provider," a news release from the Norfolk Botanical Garden said.

Biologists considered several options for the chicks, including not intervening, providing supplemental food, and placing them in the nests of other eagles.

They decided to send them to The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, where they can be cared for until they are ready to be released into the wild.

Message boards for the botanical garden's Eagle Cam, which provides live video of the eagle's nest online, were flooded with questions about the eaglets' futures.

"It's a sad day for everyone that's followed the Eagle Cam," said Stephen Living, a biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. "I hated to see this."

Wednesday morning, biologists gathered below the nest. The male eagle was agitated and flew overhead. When a bucket truck was raised toward the nest, the father left and wasn't seen again while the eaglets were collected.

In a news release, Living said that without intervention, it was all but certain one of the eaglets would not have survived the next three months.

Biologists believe they will be ready to be released by late summer. The youngsters are old enough to recognize their siblings and know they are eagles, according to Living. Releasing them together is expected to increase their chances of survival.

At the Waynesboro wildlife center, the chicks will be placed in an artificial nest inside a 200-foot flight cage. They won't have contact with other eagles, but they will be able to see adult eagles flying and feeding.

As they fledge, they will be given access to a longer enclosure to allow them to build wing strength and learn to fly.

The mother eagle was about 15 years old, according to Reese Lukei Jr., who studied the eagle pair as a research associate for Center for Conservation Biology. He started following her when she nested with another mate in trees on the edge of the airport about eight years ago.

That male was killed by a plane in 2002. The female then found her current mate and nested at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Because a fish was found near her body, biologists believe she was carrying food to her young when she was killed.

Airplane collisions with wildlife are on the rise. A plane struck and killed an eagle just two weeks ago at the Norfolk airport. A bird that struck an engine in November sent a US Airways plane back to the airport shortly after takeoff. Other eagle strikes occurred in 2005 and 2002, according to airport officials.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported last year that collisions with wildlife had more than doubled at 13 major U.S. airports since 2000.

Pilot photographer L. Todd Spencer and videographer Brian Clark contributed to this report.

Cindy Clayton, (757) 446-2377, cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com