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, start flapping exercises, and making short flight attempts from point A to point B. Too much space, too soon is not always the best.
The first eaglets ready to move from ICU to the nursery are D33 and a hatch-year 2019 bald eagle from Allamakee County. These eaglets are reliably eating, drinking, and pooping. Any medication routines needed are complete. Patients will often “telegraph” that they are ready for a change of scenery.
Moving days like this are the time when eagles are weighed, a beak depth measurement taken, blood drawn for a blood lead level (if not already done), and a dose of ivomec to control external parasites. (We’ll post separately about parasite control!)
D33 weighs in at 11.5 pounds and her beak depth measurement indicates she is a female. (Again… we’ll post separately about beak depth measurement).
Allamakee is boy weighing 8.5 pounds and a beak depth consistent with male bald eagles.
The Raptor Resource Project