Fans of the Standley Lake eagles were overjoyed Wednesday afternoon following the hatch of an egg laid seven weeks ago by the female known as F420.
Park naturalist Lexie Sierra-Martinez confirmed the arrival, which occurred around 2 p.m. in a nest that is covered 24 hours a day by the . Another egg is expected to hatch soon.
The top of the new eaglet’s head has been seen on camera, thrilling fans who follow via the Standley Lake Eagle Cam Facebook group.
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“It’s like a little fuzzy cotton ball, but it’s gray,” Martinez said in a phone interview shortly after 5 p.m. “It actually was just fed, about five minutes ago. It was fed by a piece of a coot, which is a kind of a water fowl. This first one was right on time. The second one should be hatching in the next couple of days, if it is viable.”
Fans of the Standley Lake eagles are hoping for the best following a . F420 attacked a female known as Mom that had been living in the nest with Dad. Mom disappeared after the attack and the three eggs she laid last year did not survive.
“We’re really thrilled, excited to see hopefully a new but normal season with this new pair, looking forward to seeing if the next egg is viable,” Martinez said. “Hopefully everything goes without a hitch.”
