White-tailed eagles, Milda and her mate Raimis, worked on their nest near Durbe, Latvia, during February and March 2021. Their first egg was laid on 12 March, the second on 15 March, and the third egg on 21 March. Six days after the laying of the third egg, Raimis is missing. He did not return to help incubate the eggs or bring food for Milda. For eight days Milda went without food waiting for Raimis. During that time there were fights between other white-tailed eagles on the ground below the nest and once in the nest area. One of those was a male nicknamed Mr C. Mr C tried to incubate the eggs but Milda chased him away. Several times Milda left the eggs unprotected for several hours (one was nearly five hours) to find food for herself. Eventually Milda accepted Mr C who is now named Chips. Despite Milda’s strength and conviction in her and Raimis’s eggs, no one believed that they would hatch. Many just said she had been away too long in the cooler weather, 43 F, for the eagles developing to live.
This morning a miracle happened. Egg #2 laid on 15 March hatched on day 38. (Egg #1 is believed unviable). Here is an image of the little eaglet!
What a beautiful image of hope! Milda has a new mate who helped her incubate her eggs and who will raise Raimis’s eaglets. If egg #3 is viable, it should hatch in three days time. This is absolutely amazing.
Congratulations Milda, Chips, and Raimis! And to the people of Latvia who kept their hope that Milda’s sacrifices would be rewarded.
You can watch this amazing nest here:
