Monthly Archives: December 2018

2018 Memory Lane Moment #10: Eagles back at N2B and the North Nest.

10/15/18: Male eagle at N2B

On October 6, 2018, we turned the cameras back on. We were on tenterhooks. Would Mom accept a new mate? Would the North eagles adopt their new nest? On October 15, the male eagle we called DM (for Decorah Male) and now know as UME-2 (for Unknown Male Eagle 2) landed on N2B for the first time. Things kicked into high gear on October 24 as Mom and her new consort began nestorations in earnest. We were thrilled as the

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2018 Memory Lane Moment #9: Outdoor School!

Heraldic pose by the creek

Our improved look at Outdoor School was mentioned by almost every moderator. We learned a lot about the first few weeks after fledge as the eaglets followed Mom and one another to steal food, keep cool, hone their flight skills, and learn to fish and hunt. This moment was mentioned as a particular favorite! #EagleTableManners You can watch the whole video here! Decorah Eagles Hanging Out By The Creek At Nest: https://youtu.be/6IKro-pccWk

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2018 Memory Lane Moment #8: Mrs. North incubates through heavy snow!

04/18/18: Mrs. North incubates through the snowstorm

While Mom and Dad Decorah brooded eaglets through a heavy snowstorm, Mrs. North incubated the eggs from her second clutch. Watchers were amazed and inspired by her devotion and skilled care. While she sometimes got up to shake off the snow that at one point buried her neck deep, her eggs remained warm, dry, and well-cared for. Our tears at the Decorah nest were followed by triumphs, but that was not the case at the North nest this year. Sherri

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2018 Memory Lane Moment #7: Pre-fledge funnies!

2018 Memory Lane Moment #7: Pre-fledge funnies!

While we worried, Mom went about the business of bringing her eaglets to fledge! D29, D30, and D31 amused and distracted all of us with their antics as they got closer and closer to fledge. This memory lane moment includes several favorites mentioned by our moderators! April 25, 2018: We were still trying to get used to Dad’s absence and everything was a cause for concern. An eaglet (D29, perhaps?) gets startled from sleep as Mom gets up to relieve

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2018 Memory Lane Moment #6: Periscope Up!

12/28/18: American Kestrels - Periscope Up!

In 2018, we partnered with Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Neil Rettig Productions on a KestrelCam. The little kestrels were extremely funny to watch as the squabbled over food, played in the nest box, and interacted with one another. They were small but filled with boundless energy and more than willing to eat, or try to eat, food that was much larger (and longer) than they were! Although we liked everything about the kestrels, this was a favorite moment for

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2018 Memory Lane North Eagles: Eagles, eagles, and more eagles!

December 23, 2018: Eagles and more Eagles at the Decorah North nest

The Decorah North eagles are living just inside a north/south wind-funnel of sorts that cuts through the hills and channels wind – and birds – for miles. Topography influences migration in many birds, including bald and golden eagles. Looking at the terrain, it is no surprise at all to see eagles congregating here – even if the Norths don’t exactly put out the welcome mat! Several of the Decorah North mods mentioned visitors when asked for their memorable moments on

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2018 Memory Lane Decorah Eagles #3: Dad’s last day on the nest

The couple that launched the wildlife streaming revolution. Mom & Dad on Dad's last day in April of 2018

April 18, 2018: A heavy April snowstorm had Mom and Dad dual brooding the eaglets to protect them from the wet, heavy snow. You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/z9NOwMzej8A. All of our moderators brought this up. It was no one’s favorite, yet it was deeply treasured by everyone. Instead of an explanation, two comments that really touched me: “One of my favorite and most cherished moments was Mom and Dad Decorah on the nest, keeping the eaglets warm

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2018 Memory Lane Decorah Eagles #2: Dad Feeds Mom

April 8, 2018: Dad feeds Mom

April 8, 2018: Dear Dad brings a big floppy fish, preps it in front of Mom, feeds her one bite, beak bites her and feeds her more while she sits. A priceless partnership! You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/hM0TMmYbFro Prey provisioning is an important part of eagle courtship. While both males and females incubate, females spend more time incubating eggs and brooding very young eaglets, so males need to be able to catch and share their prey with

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2018 Memory Lane #1: Decorah Eagles Incubation Standoff

2018 Memory one: Incubation stand-off!

I went to our moderators and asked them for their favorite moments from our nests. They came back with all sorts of memories: touching, happy, sad, inspirational, and things I would never have thought of. We’ll be counting them down as we approach the new year! Moment #1: March 6th, 2018. Incubation stand-off! Full video here: https://youtu.be/jvuBEl6UI_4. It’s believed that female eagles incubate at night because their larger size makes them more cold-tolerant. Whatever the reason, Dad didn’t always want

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Will Mom Lay Eggs? When Will Mom Lay Eggs? Your Questions, Answered!

Decorah Mom and the first egg of 2017

We’re getting a lot of questions about Mom Decorah and eggs. When will she lay eggs? Will she lay three eggs again? We don’t want to count Mom’s eggs before she lays them, but we have some answers (and some speculation) to your questions! Will a new mate equal later eggs? Let’s start by taking a look at Mom’s egg laying history… As the table above shows, Mom’s first egg (that we have a date for, since she laid eggs

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