a 'pear' of eagles
How sad is that? The celebrity eagle pair of the famous eagle eye cam are too old to make babies. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Ah well -- maybe it's a cautionary tale to the pregnant 63 year old Englishwoman and her husband. 
more about empty eggs in the comments
Further adventures of the painted pear here.
posted by andrea at 3:58 p.m.
5 Comments:
Or maybe there is a connection with the cam being so near the nest itself? Eagles haven't evolved to reproduce near electrically run devices...
Pretty unlikely that the presence of a tiny webcam nearby would cause a couple of eggs to turn into duds :). It might cause the parnets to not want to reproduce but its presence doesn't seem to have upset them at all. From an article, "Carrick said the pair went through the same ordeal last year and continued to nuzzle the eggs for a good day after they were dead. He said one chick lasted six days; the second died while pecking its way out of its shell."
There's a page here about possible causes:
http://forum.hancockhouse.com/article.php/20060430150923711
And an excerpt:
There are infinite options but none seem logical than my first option above. The pair are very used to human disturbance, constantly perching near houses and human activity with no noticeable alarm or concern. While I have received lots of concerned calls and emails at the sounds of power movers, cars, chain saws and dogs we have had an unprecedented opportunity to watch the eagles in the cam and correlate their behavior with disturbances. The noise of civilizations does not seem to phase them a bit.
Wow, I love the pears. Gorgeous! And I hadn't heard about the 63-year-old pregnant woman. Eek! How bizarre for that kid, to be a teenager with an 80-year-old mother!!
Those crazy English folk!
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