Tonight’s Nestflix: Snowstorations! Mom and DM2 have a lot of snow removal to do after a storm dropped roughly ten inches in the Decorah area on January 18! They have been dealing with the snow by trampling it, covering it, digging in it, and brushing from the nest as they come and go. Normally we list videos from newest to oldest, but I thought it would be fun to see the nest emerge from the snow as the eagles worked on it. Thanks to our camera operators and videomakers for catching and sharing life in the nest, and to you for watching! Look for a DNN roll tomorrow morning!
1/19/19: DM2’s early visit – https://youtu.be/HewcpEkyFOU. Mom and DM2 have a lot of snow removal to do after a storm dropped roughly ten inches in the Decorah area! At 1:05, DM2 crouches down, but seems to realize he’s in the wrong spot for nest bowl work! He settles down again at 1:46 (brrrr), scraping a little before molding the snow as he sits. At 3:56, he pulls a cornhusk out of the snowbank and moves it to the side before hopping up the Skywalk (6:28). We get a lovely view of him before he flies away.
1/19/19: Short visit to a snowy nest – https://youtu.be/pxI6Ek3Tzdg. More snow removal! Compare N2B at the beginning and end of the visit to see the difference that simply moving around can make.
1/20/19: Mom does a little housekeeping – https://youtu.be/FFOCUHIqoH0. Mom flies in at 43 seconds (look for her shadow) and does a little housework, digging in the snow and (check 1:30) pulling grass out. It’s very cool to see how she puts her foot forward to exert pressure as she attempts to lift the grass! She digs more out around 2:00, leaving the nest less snow-covered than she found it!
1/21/19: The art of stick placement – https://youtu.be/ln9ICUlfFBc. Mom and DM2 have made some headway against the snow, but more remains to be done! Mom flies in with a large stick and starts working on placement. DM2 flies in with no stick, but quickly grabs one for some stick work of his own! He can’t seem to decide where it should go as he moves it around the nest. Here? No. Here? No. Finally satisfied with his placement, he exits N2B in a very cool fly-out.
1/21/19: Mom Has Lunch On The Nest – https://youtu.be/UPRJnPLVsnQ. It looks like Hasenpfeffer (rabbit) to me! The video opens with a look at the Y-Branch, switches to a view of Canada Geese in the pond at 3:22, and switches to Mom’s lunch at 3:57. She gives us all a lesson in de-furring with her sharp, sensitive beak, while DM2 stands guard in the background. Check the footage starting at 11:20 for some incredible close-ups of Mom, and don’t miss the nice look at DM2 on the Skywalk at the end of the video. Note that this video might be disturbing to some.
1/22/19: DM2 then Mom with new grasses – https://youtu.be/F6sWokPsDGI. Mom and DM2 have trampled the snow and dug out some grasses. Now it’s time to cover it all up! DM2 brings in some grasses and starts fluffing and spreading them, while Mom brings another talonful in at 2:30. She does a little work and leaves DM2 to continue the nestorations!
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