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Monthly Archives: March 2020

March 13, 2020: Nestflix and round-up!

March 13, 2020 RaptorResource

We have your nestflix and a nest round-up! Although first hatch could come a little sooner or a little later than our guesstimate, here’s what it looks like right now. The Decorah eagles have three eggs. We’re predicting first hatch on April 4. The Decorah North eagles have two eggs. We’re predicting first hatch on March 28. The Xcel Fort St. Vrain eagles have three eggs. We’re predicting hatch for March 24. Falcons are back at most of of our

Your questions, answered! Does DM2 learn from Mom? Will just one copulation fertilize all of Mom’s eggs?

March 13, 2020 RaptorResource

As part of our first egg fundraiser on February 28, John took questions from watchers over at Explore.org. A follower asked whether DM2’s maturity was the result of learning from Mom or his instincts maturing as he matures. We often talk about learning and instinct, as opposed to learning versus instinct. While instinct appears to take a bigger role in eagle behavior, eagles also learn. John’s answer: Much of an eagle’s behavior is innate. Instinct guides a wide range of

March 10: Decorah, Decorah North, Xcel Fort St. Vrain, The Flyway, Odds and Ends!

March 10, 2020 RaptorResource

It’s a NestFlix megaroll! We have videos from Decorah, Decorah North, Fort St. Vrain, and the Flyway, plus great bird news from Guam and Hawaii! This is a great time to start watching the Flyway – but keep your eyes peeled, since spring migration happens very quickly! Today marks about 24 days until hatch in Decorah, 17 days until hatch at Decorah North, and 13 days until hatch at Xcel Fort St. Vrain – although remember, it could come a

Proposed changes weaken Migratory Bird Treaty Act

March 10, 2020 RaptorResource

Bald and Golden Eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Act. Endangered species are protected by the Endangered Species Act. But the vast majority of birds in the United States are protected only by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There is currently a federal proposal to change the definition of ‘take’ under the Act. It sounds boring, right? But preserving the definition as it stands is important to the future of our birds. To provide feedback on the

Did You See? Reflections on Rain Drops

March 10, 2020 RaptorResource

By Sherri Elliott Bald Eagles have a remarkable super shield that adapts as a raincoat or snowsuit depending on the elements. Conditioned with uropygial oil as they preen and zip their feather vanes, each feather is an overlapping mosaic over their fluffy down creating a coat that sheds water and helps keep heat from escaping, creating a constant supply of warmth to the eagles and transferred by brood patch to incubating eggs. Mom Decorah may have looked miserable to some

Lesson Plans

March 9, 2020 RaptorResource

The Raptor Resource Project is proud to announce a new website with lesson plans written by teachers, for teachers, at no cost to teachers! Visit https://raptorresource.education/ to access our plans and a video library. Thanks to Lori Carnes, Deb Ripple, Emily Neal, and Meg Storkamp for their hard work and dedication. We’ll be adding more plans and welcome feedback on the website or the plans themselves. Please email Amy Ries at [email protected] with comments, questions, or suggestions.

March 7, 2020: Decorah, the Flyway, and Great Spirit Bluff

March 7, 2020 RaptorResource

Put your feet up and chill with Nestflix from Decorah, the Flyway, and Great Spirit Bluff! In Decorah, Mom and DM2 copulate and we get some fantastic looks at Mom’s feathers. On the Flyway, a raccoon and multi-age group of eagles forage for food. Ice is beginning to melt and uncovering the concealed bodies of fish – an excellent food source for hungry mammals and bald eagles after winter’s lean season! So what’s going on a Great Spirit Bluff? Michelle

March 5, 2020: Decorah, Decorah North, GSB

March 5, 2020 RaptorResource

Spring is in the air! We have Nestflix from Decorah, Decorah North, and GSB tonight, but first I want to encourage people to start watching the Flyway cam at https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/flyway-cam/. Winter finally arrived in February, putting a damper on Flyway activity. But it looks like the ice is starting to go out and birds are beginning to move north! The spring migration is much quicker than the fall one, so you’ll want to keep track of the ice to catch

Tug-o-fish in Decorah: Cornhusk dress-up at Decorah North!

March 3, 2020 RaptorResource

We’ll be posting some anticipated hatch dates tomorrow for all three of our nests, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy some nestflix from Decorah and Decorah North! In Decorah, Mom and DM2 warn off an intruder and have a tug-o-fish (spoiler alert – Mom wins!). Mr. North plays dress up with DNF at Decorah North (not the first time we’ve seen this), and a camera operator gives us an excellent chance to practice id skills and memorize facial

Nestflix: Decorah, Decorah North, Great Spirit Bluff

March 2, 2020 RaptorResource

We have your Decorah Eagles, Decorah North, and Great Spirit Bluff videos! With two eggs in Decorah and two at Decorah North, everyone seems to be wondering about a third egg. Seven days have passed since DNF laid egg #2, which means it is extremely unlikely she’ll lay another. But Mom has a history of laying three eggs and is still ‘in the zone’, eggwise. She’s tended to go right around four days between eggs, which means we might start