Monthly Archives: June 2019

June 25, 2019: Day Trip to Decorah

Photo of DM2 and Mom, credit Robin Brumm

Photos and Story by Robin Brumm. Thanks, Robin!  I had decided to go to Decorah on Tuesday to meet some friends. On Monday night as I set my alarm to get up at Dark O’clock, I was thinking about Mom Decorah. I kept saying over and over … please show up at the hatchery tomorrow … and, by the way, I think no matter what time you get up in the morning during the summertime, it is not completely dark,

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Identifying birds of prey in flight

Silhouettes of birds of prey in flight

Bald Eagle or Turkey Vulture? Is that a Peregrine Falcon or something else? Understanding body plans can be helpful in identifying soaring, stooping, and flying birds. Coming to our After the Fledge party in Decorah? Get ready for Turkey Vulture or Not with this article!  Bald eagles are soaring generalist hunters that eat almost anything they can catch. Peregrine falcons are energetic, acrobatic flyers that specialize in catching birds in the air. Both are birds of prey, but their body

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Postcards from eaglets D27 and D24!

June 25, 2019: D27's map

Two eagles sent postcards this week! D27 is up in northwest Ontario near Sachigo Lake, about 725 miles from her natal nest. And after months of silence, D24 finally phoned home! He is located up near the Minnesota/Ontario border, about 348 miles north of his natal nest. This is the first time we have been able to document him away from NE IA since his northern excursion 2 years ago. Where will they go next? Stay tuned – and please,

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Blackflies

Black Fly (Simulium)

As watchers know, several of our nests were impacted by blackflies this year. This blog answers some of your questions, looks at the correlation between water flow and hatch at Great Spirit Bluff, and discusses options.  Are blackflies/buffalo gnats/turkey gnats an old problem that we’re just seeing now thanks to technology and interest, or an emergent threat driven by habitat improvement and climate change-induced extreme weather patterns? Perhaps a little bit of both. While blackflies have been known to parasitize

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DN9 moves to the eaglet nursery

June 19, 2019: D33's painted talon

Thanks to SOAR for allowing us to share this story! Visit their website at www.soarraptors.org DN9 was moved to the eaglet nursery on 17 June 2019. DN9 joins D33 and the Allamakee eaglet. DN9 has gained 1.5 pounds in 10 days and still needs to gain weight. The initial beak depth measurement says ‘boy,’ but Kay is thinking that DN9 is a female based on the amount of weight to be gained and that this eaglet is not done growing.

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The Eaglet Nursery

June 17, 2019: D33 and friend at SOAR

Thanks to SOAR for allowing us to share this post by them. To learn more, please visit their website at https://soarraptors.org/ The snowy owl residents of one of the 10×20 flight pens were moved to their air conditioned summer quarters (Iowa heat and humidity are not what snowy owls like). Then the 10×20 flight pen was cleaned and made ready to be the 2019 Eaglet “Nursery.” Why only a 10×20 area? These eaglets need space to stretch out their wings,

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D27’s latest map!

June 17, 2019: D27's latest map

D27 started her spring migration on May 20, leaving a spot on the Upper Iowa river about 10 miles northeast of her natal nest and flying north! Between May 20 and the afternoon of June 4, she flew an incredible 683 miles, ending up in northwestern Ontario near last year’s summer range. Her longest continuous flight took place on June 3rd, when she flew 135.9 miles in 20.97 hours, yielding an average speed of 6.4 miles per hour. She also

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D32 Update

D32 at SOAR: A description of surgery

Thanks to SOAR for allowing us to share this post on our website! Kay assisted Drs. Riordan and Struve with surgery to straighten and stabilize D32’s right tibiotarsus. The stabilization had to be from the outside (external) as both veterinarians agreed that there was no way to attach anything to the tiny piece of bone next to the joint. D32 did have an open owie near the break and a very tiny corner of bone was exposed. The leg was

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Falcon Carson jumps at Great Spirit Bluff

Carson, the remaining falcon at Great Spirit Bluff, jumped from his nest box this afternoon. He was 30 days old, or roughly eight days younger than the youngest age we might expect fledge. Although we treated the box and had a fan blowing, we think the black flies probably became overwhelming, causing him to bolt. He landed in the brush and appears to be fine. We’ve seen Michelle and Newman take care of young below the bluff previously, so we’re

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Update from GSB and Decorah

Great Spirit Bluff: Some sad news early this morning as a Great Horned Owl entered the peregrine falcon nest box and killed one of the eyasses before Mom Michelle could respond with her own swift attack to the intruder to defend her young. The GHO abandoned the box with Michelle fiercely chasing it away. Sadly, the little eyas, identified as female Kira, perished. The male eyas, Carson, was not hurt and has been seen eating, wingersizing, vocalizing and is being

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