A bald eagle parent knocked one of its two eaglets from its nest near Codorus State Park in Hanover when bringing in a fish to feed to its excited offspring Tuesday.
The maturing young birds are within just days of taking flight.
A live webcam operated by HDOnTap caught all of the action as the young bird clearly fell out of the nest and has not been seen since. But that doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the young eaglet.
According to the Hanover Evening Sun, the eaglet that fell is known as Star by webcam watchers. Volunteers were scouring the area under the nest Tuesday looking for the young bird.
Karen Lippy, a Hanover eagle cam follower, said that the eaglet was not low enough to be seen and there were no distress calls from the bird.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, one of the sponsors of the webcam, issued a statement Wednesday expressing optimism about the eaglet’s future, noting that one in seven bald eagles fly from the nest early and often will be grounded for several days before taking their first flight.
Once a young eagle leaves the nest, its parents will continue to feed it.
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