Spring really sprung at our nests this week! Falcons are back at almost every spot, we’re seeing Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Common Goldeneye ducks, and other migrating waterfowl at the Flyway, Peregrine Falcon Newman is bringing food gifts to mate Michelle, and background birdsong can be heard almost all of our nests. If any of you are good at birdsong ID, please get back to me – we’re looking for someone to help us figure out what we are hearing! We also made changes in our Prey Logging tool and have made a real-time report available so everyone can see what the eagles are eating at each nest. You’ll find that up above the live streams at each nest!
Tonight’s videos star the Decorah and Decorah North Eagles! In Decorah, we get close-ups of DM2, mouse defense in an egg roll, a tour of the area, and Mom’s muddy talons! At Decorah North, we get a UFO (I think it is a calf’s leg), an owl, and lovely close-ups of Mr. North and DNF. If you watch the owl video, make sure your sound is turned up so you can hear the coyotes in the background. I love hearing and seeing all of the wildlife around our nests!
Decorah Eagles
3/20/19: DM2 close-ups – https://youtu.be/gnaYWkYb57U. Nice close-ups of DM2!
3/20/19: Mouse defense, egg roll – https://youtu.be/XBRtbOfRRNg. Gah – leave Mom alone, mice! Don’t you know what happens if she catches you? Mom wakes up, wing whaps, dives at and misses a mouse, and rolls her eggs before resting. I can’t help but wonder if she’s engaging in a little unihemispheric sleep. This kind of sleep is a lot more like dozing (“I’m resting my eyelids!”) than true sleep, but it would allow her to keep one eye out for those pesky mice!
3/19/19: Eggs, area tour – https://youtu.be/Rk9awP2NIa0. This cool video gives us a nice look at the side of the nest, the beautiful eggs cradled in softly glowing grass and husks, a great look at the floor of the nest, which is piled high with insulative material, some basement birdies (4:45), a brief tour of the area at 6:41, and a longer, more extensive tour at 8:14.
3/18/19: Mom returns with muddy talons – https://youtu.be/P5QK_nCPey8. From chickiedee “Mom returns from her break with muddy talons. DM2 has been incubating this afternoon while Mom perched on the Maple tree. There is a picture in picture effect so we see both DM2 in the nest and Mom on the tree. Thanks camera operator. Love the picture in picture. DM2 doesn’t waste any time flying off when Mom returns. Mom has brought some grasses it looks like. Maybe that’s how her talons got so muddy or maybe she dug down in the pond or Trout Creek to get a fish. Now the eggs are going to get muddy. Love you Mom! Thanks for watching!”
Decorah North Eagles
3/19/19: Hoof But Which Animal&Frosty Feathers – https://youtu.be/B-I6gsfDZRk. I’m leaning towards a calf because the hair seems longer and straighter than I would expect from a lamb, I’m not sure anyone is farming lambs in the area, and the hoof looks right. While aborted fetal deer can have pale hoofs, this leg has more hair than we would see on a fetal deer. Mr. and Mrs. North wouldn’t kill a half, but they would happily eat a dead one! The look at prey is followed by fantastic frosty feathers and the sound of other birds in the distance!
3/19/19: Owl – https://youtu.be/2hcramoeyoY. In the first 20 seconds of the video, we saw a mouse (against the trunk) and hear a coyote. DNF wakens in defense mode and we hear Mr. North responding close-by.We hear the owl at about 42 seconds but don’t really see it. We get more defense at 2:34. Listen hard at 3:19 and you hear what sounds like an owl, although I’m not sure about species and it sounds far away. DNF seems to settle down, but then we hear something at 3:34 and wings at 3:36. DNF goes back into full defense mode at 3:45 and we briefly see a wing-tip flash in and out in the upper left corner through 3:47. However, I think that is Mr. North, since the wing tip doesn’t look right for an owl – too pointed and slotty. DNF settles over her eggs and we briefly see the Mr.’s tail at 5:13. All is well!
3/18/19: Decorah Eagles North Early morning – https://youtu.be/DfWvuHuiT2U. Frost lightly spangles DNF’s plumage under IR candlelight. She calls for Mr. North, who comes in to take his turn. He shimmies over the eggs and settles in for his shift. Some fantastic close-ups follow, with great views of Mr. North’s snowy white head, eyes, and tongue! A lovely look at a very handsome eagle!
The Raptor Resource Project