WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Finally, some good news for Colorado's unluckiest bird couple.
In the latest installation of our favorite local soap opera, the bald eagles nesting at Standley Lake in Westminster have raised three eaglets – their first brood in years to make it this close to adulthood.
"We are extremely proud of the bald eagle parents for having such a successful year and look forward to the winter where we get to see several adult and juvenile bald eagles stopping by at the lake," Standley Lake Regional Park said in a post on its Facebook page.
Now, mom and dad are proud parents to three juveniles who will spend the rest of their teens learning to fly and hunt until they're ready to leave the nest. Like freshmen leaving home for college, these eaglets are getting ready for their next journey – and for their parents, a much-needed break.
The Standley Lake eagles have been empty nesters before, but never for the right reasons.
A female eagle "floater," known as F420, attacked the nest in 2020, chasing off the original mama eagle and then shacking up with her man. It all played out over livestream from the Standley Lake eagle cam because even eagles can't escape the draw of drama.
The original mother had a nest full of eggs – none of which hatched when she flew off and nursed her wounds (and perhaps her broken heart), never to return.
But the new couple has lost their eaglets every year since then. In 2021, the tree holding their next split down the middle, causing the nest to collapse and killing the couple's only eaglet.
A year after the nest collapsed, F420 and dad built a new nest deeper in the wildlife refuge where cameras can't reach. Their two eaglets that year passed away, and the park never figured out why.
In 2023, the nest fell out of the tree, killing the lone eaglet.
What's next for the Standley Lake eagles?
According to the park, nestlings first leave the nest in late June to early July, or about 72 days after hatching.
Both parents take care of the young eagles even after they leave the nest.
Teen eagles will leave the area sometime before October or November, either on their own or when mom and dad force them out.
The parents remain at Standley Lake year-round, and they spend the fall and winter preparing their nest for the next clutch of eggs.
According to the park, bald eagles have been nesting on Standley Lake since 1993.