COLORADO NEWS

After bouts of bad luck, Standley Lake bald eagles have three juvenile offspring

Aug 29, 2024, 4:00 PM

After suffering at the hands of bad weather, home wrecking and nature-related mishaps for three years, the luck has turned for the well-known bald eagle couple that lives at Standley Lake in Westminster.

The loss of their hatchlings has plagued the pair for one reason or another since 2020, but the tide has turned and the three most recent offspring are now juveniles — making the batch the longest-living of any in the last three years.

2020 wasn’t a particularly good year for many, the eagles were no exception. The year started the streak of bad luck when a female eagle, identified as F420, chased the original mother off, making off with her mate, two unhatched eggs and one eaglet. None of the eggs made it after F420 left, and a magpie snatched the eaglet. The tragedy unfolded in front of many onlookers, as the nest was and still is livestreamed.

The newly-formed couple ran into another mishap the next year in 2021, when the cottonwood tree that held their nest split in half, collapsing the nest and thereby killing their lone, recently-hatched eaglet. The cause of the next two eaglets’ demise in 2022 was less clear, as their nest was built deeper in the wildlife refuge and was not in view of the camera. City and state officials searched the ground of the area in an effort to locate the bodies of the eaglets and were planning to perform a necropsy, but were unsuccessful, leaving the cause of death unknown.

Potentially the last of the unfortunate events, the fate of the 2023’s eaglet was similar to that of 2022’s, when the nest fell out of the tree due to a snowstorm.

The newest eaglets were born in late April and early May, marking the first time there have been three eaglets in the area since 2017. Granted everything goes as planned, the young eagles will likely leave the nest before October or November.

Many hope that 2024 is the start of a more successful era for the birds, many showing support by commenting on the Standley Lake Regional Park Facebook page‘s post regarding the family, made on August 22. The post stated that “These juveniles are now flying and learning how to hunt. They soon will leave the area to begin their own journeys.”

According to city spokesperson Andy Le, bald eagles have made the reservoir their home since 1993 and have consistently hatched and raised a varying number of eaglets from that point until 2020.

Denver’s dog food plant has been sued for being too stinky – Here’s what their lawyers say

Did you know you can pay to cuddle with cows near Denver

Colorado News

Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Stagecoach...

Shawn Patrick

KYGO’s Birthday Bash with Koe Wetzel – Know before you go

98.5 KYGO’s 45th Birthday Bash is this Sunday (July 6) at Fiddler’s Green. Tickets are still available, so whether you already have yours or you plan on getting them soon, […]

3 days ago

Rodz & Bodz Movie Car Museum...

Shawn Patrick

Popular Denver car museum to auction off many famous movie cars

It’s been a tough go for a really neat Colorado car museum the last few years. Rodz & Bodz Movie Cars & More Museum has gone through several locations in […]

3 days ago

Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

A Denver-area Hooters location is closing – Only three will be left in Colorado

The end of an era seems to be quickly approaching as another Hooters restaurant is about to close in Colorado. If you haven’t been to a Hooters in years, you’re […]

3 days ago

Photo by Greg L. Davis/U.S. Air Force/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Here’s where to see F-16 fighter jet flyovers in Colorado on the 4th of July

What better way to celebrate ‘Merica than with fighter jets buzzing over! The Colorado Air National Guard will perform fighter jet flyovers over a large part of Colorado Friday (July 4) to […]

3 days ago

...

Big Mic

Interview – Ella Langley talks ACM success with Tracy and Fizz

Ella Langley talks with Tracy and Fizz about her successful night at the ACM awards and also some of the hilarious pick up lines that Riley Green’s dad throws her […]

3 days ago

(Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

What are the Daiso stores popping up all over Colorado?

Everywhere I turn right now, I keep seeing these Daiso stores, whether it be on the news or social media. So, what are the stores that are popping up around […]

4 days ago

After bouts of bad luck, Standley Lake bald eagles have three juvenile offspring