Any bird who wants a chick that badly deserves a chance. ♥️

And A lucky coincidence has given Murphy the opportunity to nurture an eaglet of his own!
So glad they found him a chick to raise! I bet he’s going to be a great dad!

A permanently [in.ju.red] bald eagle who can’t fly is living out the rest of his days at a bird sanctuary in Missouri. Last month, one of his caretakers at “World Bird Sanctuary” (WBS) noticed something odd.
Keeper Kerstin saw Murphy the eagle protecting a large depression in the ground. The spot was sparsely but carefully decorated with leaves and branches, and featured a simple rock right in the center.

Single dads on the rise

That day, Keeper Kerstin saw Murphy sitting on the rock as if it were an egg, and he continued to do so day after day. Male bald eagles take an equal part in raising young, so this is very natural behavior for a male.

Many viewers have assumed that Murphy is lonely and needs a mate, but the sanctuary keepers insist he is choosing to do this on his own.
WBS said: Murphy is not lonely! He is housed with 4 other bald eagles – 2 males and 2 females. He is not welcoming help with his nest, nor is he seeking it! He has not chosen a mate, so he very clearly wants to do this on his own. He does not want anything “real eggs” but his rock.

Eventually he will get bored and abandon it, but we love watching him care for it now. No need to feel bad for him! He is perfectly content, and very spoiled!
And last week, an eagle nest containing two chicks near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri was [blown down] by very high winds. One chick [pe.rished] in the fall, but the other was found and rescued by a faithful nest watcher who brought the chick to “World Bird Sanctuary’s Wildlife Hospital”.

Such a gift from God!

The staff decided to give Murphy a chance at fostering a real baby. However, at 31 years old, Murphy had never raised a chick before. It was definitely a gamble, but also the chick’s best chance at survival and the chick was introduced to his enclosure.

Single Dad doing his part!

It took Murphy about an hour to approach the eaglet to examine it. Murphy was definitely curious. But he didn’t feed him. The next day, the eaglet left the nest to go be closer to Murphy — and this is when the magic happened.
Good for Murphy, just in time for Father’s Day! Goes to show you dad’s out there who seem to be nurturing rocks, one day your rock may turn into a real live Rock Star! This is the best story! Really warms the heart!

So happy he got to be a father to a little one. The baby was raised well and released back into the wild when the time came!!!
God bless all of you at the sanctuary! Happy Father’s Day Murphy!

Watch the video below:

H/t: World Bird Sanctuary / New York Times

That is such a lovely story. Hope they have bonded!