I showed many of my followers this eagle cam back when the egg was first hatched, because I was thrilled to watch Mom and Dad Hornby, two mature eagles in their twenties, care for this tiny little life, and try to bring him to fruition. Last year, I watched another eagle cam that had three eaglets, and I began to worry about the safety of each one. I stopped watching just before the first eaglet fledged, because I had learned that fledging is a very difficult time in the life of any eagle.
Today I went on a wonderful hike in the wilderness, and I saw, twice, two bald eagles flying overhead, and I thought of Phoenix and the trial awaiting him in a week or two. Then, as I was getting ready to write a post about today's hike, I read my email and found that Phoenix died in the nest last night.
I went to the Facebook page for the Hornby Eagles and learned that his body was taken from the nest and will be autopsied to try to learn the reason for his death. About Monday he began to lose interest in eating, and, well, that was the beginning of the end. I found this page on Vancouver's Time Colonist to give the latest, as of now, that anybody knows.
I'm done with eagle cams. I cannot deal with this, because I've got tears streaming down my face for an eagle I watched grow from a tiny little egg to this beautiful eaglet. I have enough loss and change in my life, and for all of you followers who feel the same as me, I am sorry that I caused pain in your life. As someone said a while back in the chat room on the website, this is not a Disney movie. You can't make it all come out right in nature.
Goodbye, my beautiful Phoenix. May you rise again from the ashes in my heart.
:-(
OH that is so sad! I'm sorry too!!
ReplyDeleteThat is too sad! We've been watching 3 young eaglets since they hatched this Spring on a web cam - Turtle Bay, Redding CA. This is the second year the parents raised "triplets." Was he an only "child?"
ReplyDeleteAmy, there was a second egg that didn't hatch. But until this week, Phoenix has been growing like a weed. I am just devastated. Thank you for your concern. I'll post something if they do find out what killed him.
ReplyDeleteHi DJan, I was wondering if you would post about Phoenix death last night. Hubby and I were so sad today about it too. It will be interesting to hear what the reason for the death was. Such a great experience for us though to watch every day off and on as the eaglet grew. It was because of your post a couple days after Phoenix hatched that we started watching and we were hooked right away. I am glad we had this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI am very sad today, and I'm sorry for those who are terribly heart-broken--and there are many. But I'm glad you brought Phoe to my attention and that I checked in every day. From comments on the site and from various links, I learned a lot that I'd never known about eagles. This experience is stirring up some thoughts about nature that will probably become a post in a day or two. Thanks for sharing the link to a feisty fuzzball that became a beautiful eaglet and died too soon.
ReplyDeleteI saw the video you had posted months back and I was delighted and anticipated,to see another eagle would soar high in the sky. But like what you have just said, I'm sad about it.:((
ReplyDeleteDJan, I watched the eagle cam in the same spot a few years ago, and the same thing happened then, and I found I could not watch anymore either. Nature can be very cruel in the wild.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about Phoenix, I haven't watched the cam in a couple of weeks and lost track of his progress. Unfortunately it is the reality of nature. It is still a very sad.
ReplyDeleteThat's nature for you. I felt the same way when my cat died a month ago inexplicably.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're hurting. Eagles are magnificent creatures and like anything, we become so attached when allowed to watch them grow. Sadly, it's something that happens more frequently than we'd like to believe - we just don't usually have the opportunity to witness it. It's a heart-breaker for sure.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry DJan I know you love the Eagles. Nature can be so cruel. Think about what this little Eaglet taught the world while he was alive, he must have made a difference:)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry. I know you had gotten so very attached to the eagles and that you derived joy from watching them. I wish there had been a different ending. I would be interested in what happened, if they are able to determine that. I'm sending warm thoughts your way.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a beautiful photo and I haven't been watching the eagle cam because I can't take the sadness of life in nature. I love looking at still pictures of animals and nature, but not the sadness of their daily lives. I wonder if anyone determined why it died. The movies of an eagle catching a fish to eat are great to watch but a reminder of the mayhem of the food chain in nature. Watching the mayhem of man's madness like the BP spill is even harder.
ReplyDeleteOh, bless your heart, DJan. You sent him your love. That has to account for something.
ReplyDeleteRIP sweet little eaglet.
I cried when I heard the news as well. I am VERY glad you introduced me to Phoenix and his family, I have enjoyed watching him grow and while his death is devastating, I am grateful for the chance to have "known" him.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful pic of him, though.
Oh that's terrible, really terrible. Now I have tears in my eyes too and I've just learned that my auntie died today. Life is a bum sometimes, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteMy internet keeps going wrong and I have the engineer coming out on Monday afternoon to fix it, hopefully. Meanwhile, I hop on here whenever I can get through.
The life for wild animals is raw, raw, raw. We can only marvel at their tenacity in the face of all the sorrow.
Poor Phoenix, but he/she will live forever in the hearts of the people who watched him grow. Some souls live for a short while, some for a long time. There is no reason to it.
Good night x
Blessings, Star
Oh,that is just awful,I am so sorry...it makes me very sad too...
ReplyDeletebut it was totally cool that you found love in your heart and such a connection with him. He is still alive...his energy just changed from his eagle form. He is soaring in another dimension, and you WILL see him again.
That is so sad!! I remember you posting this. Let us know when you find out what happened!
ReplyDeleteI did not know about this sad event DJan and I am so sorry. I did watch it a couple of time on the cam and thought it was strong. I hope they can find out what happened, but it is hard to take.
ReplyDelete