The tragic tale of an eagle family and a hawk has taken a heartbreaking turn. Tuffy, a female red-tailed hawk, who was sharing a nest with the eagle family in California’s Santa Clara County, has sadly passed away. The story began when bird photographer Doug Gillard captured an image of a mother bald eagle carrying a hawklet in her talons, presumably to feed her own chicks. Surprisingly, the hawklet seemed to become a part of the eagle family, with the mother feeding and caring for it.
This interspecies bonding made headlines and intrigued many. However, experts, including Katie LaBarbera, the science director for the San Francisco Bird Observatory, had doubts about the long-term success of this unconventional family. LaBarbera predicted that once the hawk became old enough to start learning to fly but still depended on its parents for food, the eagle mother would grow suspicious.
Unfortunately, LaBarbera’s concerns turned out to be true. The mother eagle began to behave aggressively towards Tuffy as the hawk grew. Eventually, she prevented Tuffy from returning to the nest, making it challenging for the hawk to find food. Some followers of the story urged for a rescue mission. However, interference by humans near the nest could have endangered the federally protected bald eagles and forced them to abandon the site.
Craig Nikitas of Bay Area Raptor Rescue explained the challenges of interfering with the eagles and depriving them of prey they had caught. But when it became clear that Tuffy was permanently ousted from the nest, Nikitas received legal authorization to capture the hawk. Alongside Gillard and a local park ranger, they attempted a rescue mission, but unfortunately, they couldn’t capture Tuffy in time. Eventually, Tuffy’s emaciated body was found on the ground.
Raptor biologist David Bird emphasized that the death of fledgling birds of prey is common, with more than half not surviving their first year of life due to various factors like starvation, predators, accidents, and natural disasters. However, Tuffy’s story had captured the public’s imagination unlike most fledglings.
Nikitas expressed his heartfelt desire for a successful outcome, stating that he made every effort to help the hawk once authorized. It is a saddening end to a captivating tale.
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