On March 8, 2023, a guardian at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis County, Missouri, spotted Murphy, a male bald eagle, standing by a shallow depression. On a closer look, this space was observed to be sparsely but artfully adorned with leaves and twigs, with a single rock in its center.

Murphy had constructed a nest on the ground and was vigilantly incubating an egg-shaped rock.This behavior is not entirely unusual for male bald eagles, who share equally in nesting and baby-raising. However, at 31 years old, Murphy was more like a great-granddad than a dad.In the wild, bald eagles typically have a life expectancy of 20 to 30 years; however, their existence under human care can extend beyond that.

Murphy's shouting and hostile behavior towards the other eagles when they got close to the rock caused stress for everyone, necessitating his and the "rock baby" to be moved to a separate enclosure.

Folks who witnessed the event proposed getting a real egg or pairing Murphy with a mate, but obtaining a Bald Eagle egg is quite difficult and introducing an egg of a different species could be risky for the chick. Furthermore, the two females in the aviary showed no romantic inclination. Ultimately, matters of the heart cannot be controlled.

Late March saw an unfortunate incident when strong gusts blew down an aerie, resulting in the death of one of the chicks. The other was taken to the Wildlife Hospital of the World Bird Sanctuarpy, where it was given a positive outlook. However, the chick needed to be adopted by a foster parent.

Murphy's parenthood instincts were already at their apex, although he had never brought up a chick before.The sanctuary staff decided to take a gamble and introduce the eaglet to Murphy. They put the eaglet into a "baby jail" to allow the birds to get used to each other. After some interaction, Murphy approached the eaglet with curiosity, and he appeared to be a nurturing dad.

In a heartwarming update, the sanctuary shared that Murphy fed the eaglet, which was still too young to tear food. The comments on the update showed how invested people had become in this story, and many lamented the lack of a live cam to watch the relationship between Murphy and the eaglet develop.

While there is no live cam available to watch Murphy and his foster baby, the sanctuary has been sharing updates on social media. People can also donate to help feed the eaglet and support the sanctuary's work.

In the end, Murphy's story is a heartwarming reminder that even in the animal kingdom, paternal love knows no bounds.

On March 8, 2023, a guardian at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis County, Missouri, spotted Murphy, a male bald eagle, standing by a shallow depression. On a closer look, this space was observed to be sparsely but artfully adorned with leaves and twigs, with a single rock in its center.