2015 Ustream and Facebook Mod Favorites
We decided to turn on the time machine this morning for a trip down memory lane! I asked our moderators to share some of their favorite moments on the nest from 2015, and here are a few of their selections. Enjoy and have a very happy new year!
I did leave out one favorite of Bob’s, so I will lead off with that. He was absolutely thrilled by the Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto, which we played at his Ceremony of Life. Here is a lovely sample of the Concerto:https://youtu.be/t1Z0kAXaqBU
01/18/15: Remember eagle versus owl? As Sherri put it, the GHO vs DE battle was top of worry-o-meter charts this year! This video shows Dad getting knocked from behind during a late night nest defense.https://youtu.be/xlFw8AYvE8I
03/12/15: Mom and the wind – http://bit.ly/1Oze0gg. This spring was a delight compared to last year’s endless polar vortex. However, it appears that Mom hasn’t entirely learned her lesson about turning tail to the wind. When Dad came in with corn husks, Mom got up to switch with three eggs in the bowl. Watch Dad’s reaction as she is blown off with a sudden gust of wind!
03/27/15: Hatch of D1 – https://youtu.be/uUMvEsYiC3E. IzzySamLikesEagles: “I think one of my most favorite moments in the chat room was when Mom finally decided to let us see little D21. We had a lovely mix of chatters that day, some of whom were getting their first live glimpse of a hatchling, others who had seen many hatches before, but, just like me, were as amazed as they were the first time. D21 just looked so strong and perfect that I couldn’t help but think that this was just the beginning of an incredible season. And incredible it was!! I enjoyed every day of chat this year! We really do have the best chatters anywhere, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them!”
04/02/15: Welcome to the world, D23 – https://youtu.be/-g8tOofpqqY. I know we already published it, but it was a favorite with everyone. While looking for it, I also found this little cuteness overload gem from 3/29/15. Bob was showing off the little DDE’s: https://youtu.be/7ONN5ag5i5U
Endlessly patient Dad was a real favorite this year! Several mods mentioned his provisioning ability, his hard work, and that time he got covered in PS…
04/28/15: Oo-PS!! Sorry Dad!! http://ustre.am/_4aFIU:2BS0.
Three eaglets do their business. Early Morning, as Dad arrives at the nets, the eaglets begin to stir and ready themselves for a morning PS break. Dad ends up in the crosshairs of little D23, and at 1:10, poor Dad is covered by a PS bomb! Rivian Wolf, Sherri, Faith, Mod Five, GardenGirl, and Glogdog all mentioned this one.
05/01/15: Dad brings rabbit for breakfast: http://bit.ly/1NUrMXo.
Sherri: “Only the first minute really shows how winded Dad is toting in the rabbit, only to have it hung up on the crib rail sticks. What is wonderful is Dad’s puzzlement sizing up the situation and how to remove the rabbit kabob. You can see him thinking about what to do.”
We couldn’t get enough the eaglets and Mom, either!
05/02/15: D23 is taking after Dad – chases bird off with a little wing whap!http://bit.ly/1JhJ7KY. This is an extremely cute video and I loved the wing whap…like watching a little kid play grown-up!
05/05/15: Mom makes a separate playpen for D21 – http://bit.ly/1kwooHo. One of the real pleasures of the round-up is seeing the eaglets little again! Ustream mod Faith reminded me of resourceful Mom’s ‘playpen’ for an escaped eaglet (3:40 in the video).
05/09/15: Mom Uncovers Egg & Gives It A Roll –https://youtu.be/tU5sNrR9wvE. I had completely forgotten about this, but two mods put it on their list. A mystery bird had been brought in with an egg in its oviduct. Mom uncovers it and gives it a roll.
05/11/15: Mom teaches D21 the ‘Stick Dance’ –https://youtu.be/wY3j64YeQ40. My favorite part of this video starts around 2:50. Mod Five: “I was laughing so hard and holding my breath, too! She was practically chasing D21 around the nest with that stick. I thought she was going to knock him out a couple of times”. Young eaglet, you must learn the way of the stick dance!
06/06/15: Eaglets 3-Way Beakathon! https://youtu.be/TauGh2FqVlA. The eaglets are relaxing in the nest when a beak-a-thon breaks out! I think many of us have seem similar behavior in our own families.
06/10/15: Four Fish Deliveries, Morning Beakies, Ouch My Talon!https://youtu.be/qLb2voKHvBA. These little squees melted my heart, but I’m not sure Dad felt the same way as he worked to feed three starving ‘teenagers’! Mod Eight: “Dad is ever the expert fisherman, bringing in fish after fish. There is some expert grab and mantle and some incessant squalling as hungry mouths still want to be fed. Poor Dad, he can never seem to bring enough food to the nest to keep everyone happy!” Look for the talon catch around 2:29.
As the eaglets get older, we start to look forward to fledge with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Will things go well? Will anyone get hurt? Will we see them again? 2015 gave us three lovely, trouble-free fledglings.
06/13/15: D21 Vertical branching milestone –https://youtu.be/qhUBCQX8Sas. Mod Six: “Watching D21 master vertical branching was a highlight of the year for me. And the look on the other eaglet’s faces…’where did D21 go?'” A really charming video!
06/14/15: Decorah Eaglet D21 fledges: https://youtu.be/qbI7hxpoSBY. Robin Brumm was in Decorah and caught D21 fledging! Mod Five: “What a strong, confident eagle that took off from that nest, and how thrilling it was to see it live!” This was also a favorite of Ustream mod Faith.
06/19/15: D23 gets a visit from D21 – http://bit.ly/1Tsbgzk. Mod Ten: “I get misty when I think of, or see, the video of D21 coming back to ‘get’ D23. Little greeting ‘kisses’…”You can do it, buddy. I miss you”. I had the same reaction watching this video and D23 fledged soon afterwards.
06/21/15: Together again: https://youtu.be/x9LeiyK3ZWI. One of the hard things about fledging is watching the eaglets go off on their own, but we all loved their reunion at the Y!
06/21/15: D23 finds the N1 camera – http://bit.ly/1YUhAB9. After finding the Y-branch, it seems a little more exploration was needed! We get a very close-up view around 23 seconds. Note the eaglets holding their wings in the sun pose – a lovely and relaxing sight!
Great Spirit Bluff
The addition of cameras outside the box at GSB gave us a new look into falcon life. I am including a couple of my favorites from GSB.
03/14/15: Awesome falcon action, copulation, and food gift –https://youtu.be/A5rlnzd6FKE. I like everything about this video! It was a real treat to get to see so much of what was going on.
05/16/16: Michelle feeds eyasses – https://youtu.be/7l5V23evF74. Put on your earplugs! Three sleepy eyasses go into a loud food frenzy when Mom comes in with food.
05/31/15: Strong eyasses – https://youtu.be/9yOcifZKjmE. Just fifteen days after the last video, the eyasses have grown large and strong enough to nearly pull Mom over. Note their deepening voices as compared with the baby cries we heard in the last video. We also get a cute wing hug at 43 seconds!
06/14/15: Nice leap from nest roof to camera platform –https://youtu.be/qS3HgXa4eNQ. One of the very cool things about the new camera was watching the young falcons fledge and play after they got their wings. This and the dual box feeding video are a couple of favorites:https://youtu.be/GtRF5dVfzyU.
06/18/15: Crash landing – https://youtu.be/1jCX25H8Z8g. This video could also be titled ‘wingercizing madness’! A very enjoyable look at the antics of fledgling falcons.
Thanks, everyone! We’ll see you in 2016!
The Raptor Resource Project