Bald eagles. Big, feisty, fighting creatures. Lousy fathers sometimes.

They're like your cousin Richie, is what they are. This is why you hope Richie isn't showing up for your aunt's wake. He'll show up drunk and want to fight your cousin Nelson.

Richie has kids in your town, and the two nearest towns, the ones close enough to be easily reached by public transportation.

Richie doesn't see the kids, and he doesn't send the child support because a certain kind of man will work harder at conception than he will at any other facet of carrying on the species.

The best you can say about Richie as a father is that he has a very strong procreational drive, and he hasn't actually eaten one of his kids yet.

So, Richie is a better dad than at least one bald eagle.

Down in West Virginia, an unnamed bald eagle father ate one of his babies.

The big bird was being watched by the........

© El Dorado News Times