3,2,1! It’s not midnight yet, but we’re wishing you all a very happy and peaceful New Year! Here’s to a wonderful year for all the birds we watch! Let’s keep working in 2020 to make the world a better place for them – and for all of us, too! Thanks to all of you for watching, caring, learning, and sharing!
Our final countdown is all about eaglet rescues and releases. Bob put it very well when he said: “The highlight for me this past season was the successful retrieval of both D32 and D33. When it is all said and done knowing both of them now have their lives ahead of them and will become part of RRP’s legacy – that is of great comfort. They are, after all, America’s symbol!” I also liked Smile’s comment: “My happy memory was seeing the soft release of D33, DN9, Calmar & Allamakee in September, and the ongoing recovery of D32.”
Our #3 Memory Lane Countdown: Dave Kester rescues DN9 –
https://youtu.be/qEVNH89JW00. DN9 abandoned her nest on Thursday, June 6th and was rescued by RRP master bander David Kester. She was transferred to SOAR the same day.
Our #2 Memory Lane Countdown: Boys rescue D32! https://www.decorahnews.com/archived-stories/2019/07/22762.html. From decorahnews.com: “The eaglet…hadn’t been spotted until Friday when the two boys saw it tucked in along Trout Run Creek just downstream from the eagles’ nest. An Iowa State student, Garin Minser, helped William and Andrew get D32 to the fish hatchery, where DNR biologist Brian Malaise took it to RRP Vice-President and veterinarian Dr. Laura Johnson for immediate assessment and treatment. D32 was found to be underweight, hypothermic, showing signs of anemia, and had many black fly bites.” Thanks so much to these two boys for finding and rescuing D32! A sub-adult eagle can be a formidable opponent – it doesn’t know you are trying to rescue it! – but the boys persisted. As of this writing, D32 is still at SOAR. Their willingness to make a difference saved her life.
Our #1 Memory Lane Countdown: Soft release at SOAR! D32 is still in SOAR’s care, but D33 and DN9 left on September 18. SOAR worked with Brett Mandernack of Eagle Valley to band them and we’re hoping to catch a glimpse of them again some day. Facebook post (and video) here: https://bit.ly/2QwJOGO
The Raptor Resource Project