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[1985] S03E09: Tumbler in the Sky

Aww yeah, another close look at one particular family eking it out in the wilds -- this time, a rough-and-tumble (no pun intended) mating pair of bateleur eagles in a Kenyan national park. A lot of the drama here derives from one simple fact: the female may only lay one egg every two years.

For eagles on the smaller side, the pair turn into Bonnie and Clyde with wings when needed. No matter the time of year, they're constantly defending their sovereign airspace, driving out intruders and (as seen early in the episode) their older chicks. When the nests are built and repaired over the course of weeks, and the egg is laid, the nest is never unattended. As one pulls housesitting duty, the other is circling nearby, alert so their mate can rest.

There's a scene where the male eagle is sitting on the (unhatched) egg and a bunch of monkeys start harassing it, trying to get it to fly the coop. It just stands its ground, which is a common theme here. In addition to the elements, there are also ravens and marshal eagles, the latter of which can kill antelope. Imagine having that knocking on your door while you're juggling your baby and its needs, plus your own, plus needing to go NORAD on every interloper.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/dd16a91d.jpg

One meta thing about this episode is the unbroken stretches where there's no voiceovers -- a hallmark of good episodes, if the footage is up to par. Didn't time it, but that monkey-vs.-eagle standoff felt like a good five minutes without needless interruptions. Maybe they deserved to revel in the footage, considering much of the bateleurs' behavior was unknown until this ep aired.