Viewers frustrated as baby eagle dies on webcam

Maine wildlife officials are defending their decision not to intervene before an eaglet featured on a wildlife webcam died.

Viewers across the country expressed alarm when it seemed that the parents had abandoned a pair of baby eagles in a coastal Maine nest. One of the eaglets died over the weekend, but the other is still alive.

Erynn Call, state raptor specialist in Maine, said it's common for eaglets to die in nature and that what happened is representative of what happens in other nests. She says it's the state's policy not to intervene.

She also says the eaglets weren't abandoned. She says the parents are simply spending less time at the nest to prepare the eaglets to branch out on their own.

The webcam is operated by the Biodiversity Research Institute.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.