Nestflix! Tonight’s mega-roll includes videos from Decorah, Decorah North, Great Spirit Bluff, and the Wisconsin Kestrel nest box! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did – and don’t miss the tug-o-fish, D33 standing and walking on its feet, the interactions between DN9 and both North parents, the bone swallowing (how did that fit!), and the videos from GSB and the WI kestrels!
Decorah Eagles
5/12/19: Tug o’ War for the tail! https://youtu.be/jTBpUkNge_o. It’s pretty easy to tell D32 and D33 apart right now – D32 has a lot more feathers showing! Mom comes into the nest with a floppy fish, which she quickly gets under control. The eaglets quickly line up for food, lunging forward for the biggest bites they can get and nibbling at the fish! At 4:30, D33 grabs the fish tail, with a pretty good chunk of fish still attached, and a brief but determined tug-o-fish begins between D33 and Mom! Mom gets that fish and starts in on another while the eaglets look on, with D33 reaching out for a few little nibbles while she eats!
5/12/19: D32 Casts A Pellet When Mom Brings A Fish – https://youtu.be/dqrb3XQdSC8. And what a pellet it is!
5/9/19: D33 helps itself! https://youtu.be/tgli_K-vi10. D33 is hungry! Why wait for Mom when you can just grab the fish? D33 grabs the fish at about 6 minutes and tries to position and swallow it. It doesn’t work and D33 drops the fish. Mom walks over and starts doling out bites to her hungry eaglets. Looking at the size of D33’s crop, it is hard to believe it could still be hungry! See D33 standing up at 8:53? It’s a little tentative, but both eaglets are standing on their feet and beginning to walk. Walking will help further build and strengthen leg muscles, aid wingercizing, and assist coordination. I can hardly wait for the flap fests to begin!
Decorah North Eagles
5/12/19: DN9 Picking At Bones & Nest Material & Mr With Fish – https://youtu.be/WHViG84sD-M. To quote Sherri Elliott: “We’re entering the time in our young eaglets lives where they are learning their food lessons. Sometimes that will be plentiful provisions and at other times slim pickings. Without sounding snarky, the message is … “get used to it”, as that is the lesson in the wild, and to be fierce and thrive is to be opportunistic, taking advantage of what you find. DN9 is proving to be very resourceful in its archeological nestover digs…”. This video gives us a great look at DN9 as it picks through the nest and eats a fish delivered by Mr. North. I love the looks we get through the first half of the video. DN9 has grown enormously and is a busy, intrepid young eaglet learning all about the world through its eyes, its mouth, and its feet!
5/11/19: PM Highlights, Meaty Leg Bone & Fish Deliveries – https://youtu.be/67ScESa5qqU. Awwww – look at that screeing and little mantle when Mr. North arrives with…whatever that was! Once DN9 polishes it off, Mr. North comes back with a fish – a white sucker, I think – and DN9 eats that, too!
5/10/19: Interaction between DNF and DN9 adorable – https://youtu.be/uOaYMrWupA0. This is so cute! DN9 nibbles at mom, alternately seeming to preen and seek attention or maybe some nestovers from her. It gives itself a bit of a pedicure at around 2:25, cleaning off and nibbling around its long yellow toes!
5/10/19: Fish and stick play – https://youtu.be/CLqlo_mBEhA. DN9 has a lot to say about breakfish! Mr. North leaves as DNF comes into the nest while DN9 wheedles and pleads for fresh sushi! It grabs the leftover fish at 4:14 and attempts to swallow it down, but it is just a little too big. DNF grabs it and finishes the job! At 6:05, the video switches to some stick play as DN9 grabs a small stick and tries to figure out just where it should go! Playing house is another important part of eagle development and DN9 wants things to be just right.
5/9/19: Precious moment DN9 Mr and DNF – https://youtu.be/MJrJdunpeTw. This is a longer video, but it includes some wonderful close-ups and very sweet interactions between Mr. North and DN9. It is a cold, windy day, and DN9 huddles close to its dad for warmth as the wind blows and the nest rocks!
5/9/19: DN9 swallows bone I: https://youtu.be/Bp8YDTHGsr8 and II: https://youtu.be/vTIdRYoMVzU. Seriously, how do they fit? We know that bald eagles have strong stomach acids that help them break down indigestible materials so they can be squeezed into pellets, but it’s amazing to me that DN9 could get this down the hatch in the first place!
Great Spirit Bluff Falcons
5/13/19: So Cute,Michelle Feeds Eyas – https://youtu.be/WjwhGbYkhp8. 100% cute overload! Hatchling falcons are tiny, but very, very hungry! Less than a day after hatch, the little falcon is sitting tall, emitting tiny vocals, eating well, and begging for food!
5/12/19: Chick kicked out by Mom and brought back again – https://youtu.be/ud0kpKH6psA. This is less alarming than it sounds, although it is pretty interesting to watch! The newly hatched falcon gets out from under Mom Michelle not long after hatch. She doesn’t seem to notice until about 1:33, when she starts moving it back under her. After her first attempt she stops, but starts up again at 2:14. She grabs, wriggles, and rolls her baby safely back underneath her!
Wisconsin Kestrels
5/13/19: Noisy Incubation Switch At Wisconsin Kestrel Nest – https://youtu.be/qDDZbfv-xM4. This is a cool video! Look for the male’s head to show up in the hole at :03 into the video, and listen for the whirling sounds of their vocalizations!
The Raptor Resource Project