LAKE PLEASANT, Ariz. - A bald eagle pair at Lake Pleasant seems to have learned a thing or two about parenting as they await their first hatchling.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, which is livestreaming video of the nest online, said the egg will complete its 35-day incubation period on Sunday, so it could hatch at any moment.
It's the fourth and only surviving egg for this new eagle pair. The previous male was bested by another bird early into the breeding season.
Game and Fish said the first and third eggs were eaten by ravens, and the second was eaten or damaged by a ringtail.
The pair also had to ward off multiple attacks from a rival adult bald eagle that repeatedly dive-bombed the nest.
A day after losing the third egg, the female eagle laid a fourth. AZGFD says it seems the pair learned a hard lesson from the loss of their other eggs.
Now the eagles are making sure the egg is being incubated at all times and are defending the nest from predators. AZGFD said the nest was often left unoccupied before the new male learned to share those responsibilities.
Even if this fourth egg does hatch, AZGFD officials say the eaglet will need constant care and protection for its first three weeks.
It takes 10 and 12 weeks after hatching for an eaglet to take its first flight.
Two eggs were laid with the previous male in the same nest in early January 2018 and hatched the following month, according to AZGFD. The two young took their first flight in April of that year.
