Live cam feeds have become like reality television for animals, but nature can be a lot more unpredictable than a group of drunken Millennials forced to live together in a house. Mashable recently shared a clip from a feed of an osprey nest in Hog Island, Maine that shows three recently hatched birds meeting a very hungry and very fast bald eagle; unfortunately, only two of the chicks survived.
The osprey chicks (named Eric, Lil B, and Spirit) hatched this past spring, according to Audubon. On Monday evening, while both parents were away from the best, an eagle came soaring across the water and attacked.
Dr. Stephen W. Kress, vice president for bird conservation at the National Audubon Society, said that the osprey parents experienced bald eagle attacks the last time they tried to start a family and that all of their chicks were taken. The new group seemed to have a better chance at survival because the chicks were older. "It’s one of the best videos I’ve ever seen of eagle predation," Kress said. "I didn’t realize they’d take chicks that big, but now we know they do."
This isn't the first time that predators have been caught on camera doing what they do, and it won't be the last. As a warning, some readers may find the footage below disturbing.
Banner image: YouTube.
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