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My husband and I headed down to the Branson area in mid-May to see how the eagles were faring, and to take the boat out on the lake since good weather was expected. Our first stop upon arrival was the original bald eagle nest we had discovered on March 31: the nest of couple #1, the fourth-year eagle parents that had refurbished an existing heron nest out on a limb. (If you haven't read about our original discovery of the precariously located eagle nest, you can read it here: Where Have All the Herons Gone?)

First, the bad news.

I immediately noticed what was missing. With spring in full swing, leaves now covered the trees; even so, there should have been some evidence of the nesting family. After all, it was a very large nest in a fairly unobstructed location and, according to my calculations, the chicks would not be ready to fledge for another few weeks at least.

I walked around the creek bank with my camera and found a Great Blue Heron fishing. I searched the trees. No sign of the eagles or their nest. It was still early evening, so we decided to drive over to the the second nest.

I had to know.

In the meantime (Mike was driving), I searched the web for information. Sure enough, I found an article with the headline, Community members join in effort to save fallen eagles in Hollister. My heart dropped. The nest had fallen.

To paraphrase what I read in the article: On May 10, in the face of an approaching storm, the branch holding the eagle nest with two large chicks broke under the great weight and tremendous stress. With the water rising, an onlooker alerted authorities and rescue efforts began.

Couple #1's eaglets, three weeks before the storm.

Good news.

The fallen eagles were taken to Dickerson Park Zoo Raptor Rehab facility in Springfield, MO, where they are being cared for. I called to see if they could receive visitors, but no (it didn't hurt to ask!). They need to keep the babies from imprinting on humans since they will eventually be returned to the wild.

Jon Wilson ("the eagle guy") on Facebook was involved in the rescue. On May 11, he posted: Update on the twins. They are eating and drinking okay. There is a little concern of a leg injury on one of them. Otherwise doing okay.

Jon also posted a video of the one of the nestlings being examined...if you have time, it's worth watching (you'll have to scroll down a bit in his feed). These babies are very large!

The Guardians (couple #1, above) are certainly distraught after losing their young during a storm. I wonder if they'll reunite once the chicks are returned to the wild.

Three eaglets thriving in the second, sturdy nest.

The second nest.

When we arrived at the second nest, we were surprised at the good view. I was able to get some pretty good photos! These three baby eagles are almost adult size (they are a little older than the two in the first nest), but won't be ready to leave the nest for a few more weeks.

A bit of trivia.

As I was reading Into the Nest, by Laura Erickson and Marie Read, I learned that:

"In nests with three chicks, the third rarely lives long enough to fledge because when it hatches, the older ones are already big and assertive. Eagles peck at smaller siblings. In lean times, older chicks may kill and even eat smaller siblings, but when food is abundant, all three chicks may survive."

Since the littlest one has made it this far, I think he'll be ok!

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