Happy, happy Fri-yay, everyone! The sun is setting and I’m kicking off my Friday raptor movie marathon with a great big bowl of popcorn! As usual, Mom and DM2 continue to tease us with little visits to N2B…not enough for serious nestoration, but just enough to keep us hoping they come back! Mr. North and DNF are very busy working on their 2021 addition, while eagles are stacking up at Great Spirit Bluff, which has just the right amount of open water to pull large numbers in! I loved all of these videos, but I especially enjoyed the eagles in snow at GSB – they are beautiful! – and the lovely looks at a paparazzi-shy DNF in both videos from January 20th. As always, we thank all of you for watching, sharing, learning…and especially for caring.
Decorah North Eagles
January 21,2021: Nestorations at the North Nest
January 21, 2021: DNF nestorations and breakfish – https://youtu.be/dSgoIRvdLnE. Go to about 1:02 to see DNF take off from tree two, break a branch, and fly it into the North nest! She drops it off and flies off to break another branch for the nest, arriving at 3:37. At 5:11, we see her in the nest with breakfish. Mr. North lands above her and vocalizes, standing sentinel as she enjoys some fresh sushi. We get nice closeups starting at around 7:13. What could be nicer than fresh fish for breakfast, especially after a morning workout like that?
January 20, 2021: Highlights – https://youtu.be/c7UnFNL3RZk. An excellent recap of the day’s best moments. Look for a stunning sunrise, a fly-in to the nest at 2:26 (Mr. North), close-ups of Mr. North at 3:33, DNF flying in at 5:49, close-ups of DNF at 8:20 followed by late-afternoon nestorations, and late afternoon sunlight fading through the trees.
January 20, 2021: Late nest visit by DNF – https://youtu.be/4csq19JFgjo. The video opens with Mr. North in the nest, beautifully illuminated by late afternoon sunshine. DNF joins him at 4:06, first supervising his nestbowl work and eventually taking over. She settles into the eggcup-to-be and he takes off. We get some really stunning looks at her beginning at 8:32, although she spends much of her time in incognito mode, with the back of her head facing us. We get a view of the North Valley at 25:33 and DNF goes back to the nest to squeeze in a few more nestorations at 33:21.
Decorah Eagles
January 22, 2021: DM2 visits N2B
January 22, 2021: A visit from DM2 – https://youtu.be/AWsvXqn-4Rg. DM2 brings a talonful of grass and briefly fiddles with a stick before departing N2B. It appears that the eagles aren’t done messing with us yet! At this point, we are about a month out from eggs…wherever Mom lays them!
Great Spirit Bluff Falcons
January 20, 2021: Resident eagles at Great Spirit Bluff
January 20, 2021: Upside down eagle at Great Spirit Bluff – https://youtu.be/Stm3HH_AGsA. Five eagles of various ages (an adult, a juvenile or first-year eagle, and three subadults) are perched on a tree at Great Spirit Bluff. The juvenile trips and locks onto a branch as it starts to fly off. It is unable to free its locked talons and flips upside down. Its co-perchers watch it with a great deal of interest – we don’t know whether eagles have a sense of humor, but it is hard not to picture them laughing! Suddenly, everyone’s focus shifts to something offscreen. An adult eagle flies in. The juvenile is able to unlock its talons from the branch, perhaps to free them for an interaction with the adult. It falls as the adult passes just below it and flies to perch on a nearby tree.
Why couldn’t the juvenile eagle unlock its talons? We blogged about that here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2021/01/22/racheting-raptor-toes-an-upside-down-eagle-at-great-spirit-bluff/
January 20, 2021: Two Beautiful Eagles and Snowing – https://youtu.be/ez7Y3iywbe8. The resident pair of eagles at Great Spirit Bluff are perched in a favorite tree. Sunlight turns the light, fluffy snow into sparkling gems that float around them and decorate the rime-frosted trees. This is a beautiful video!
Odds and Ends
The Raptor Resource Project