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 during the snow storm, on the last day we saw Dad. The interaction between the two of them warmed my heart. Little did we know how bittersweet that moment was and how much we would truly cherish it down the road. It brings happy and sad tears to my eyes, even today.”
“I have to mention how special it was to be in the online classroom while dealing with Dad’s disappearance. It was a place of healing, for us and for the students. Tears were shed, memories were shared, and we all stood in awe of Mom’s determination, and ability, to raise those eaglets on her own. I have always loved working with the students, but this year it was extra special.”
Thank you so much to our moderators for everything they do. In the face of heartbreak, they reached out their hands to create a place of mourning and healing for everyone that needed it, all while learning and sharing everything we knew about what was going on.
Our most-read blog of 2018 dealt with Dad’s disappearance, Mom’s response, and the appearance of a new male who we called UME: https://raptorresource.blogspot.com/2018/04/questions-about-n2b-dad-ume-mom-and.html
How do eagles think and feel? We’re not going to pretend to have the answer, but you might enjoy this, a story of Dad:
The Raptor Resource Project