We are less than a month away from egg laying at our Decorah North and Xcel Fort St. Vrain nests! We’re seeing and hearing plenty of bonding behaviors – copulation, of course, but also eagle ‘flirting’, which can include pecking, footing, body brushing, vocalizing, and displaying. If you would like to learn a little more about eagle courtship and copulation, follow this link! https://www.raptorresource.org/2020/02/06/courtship-copulation-and-other-things-romantic/. When will our eagles lay eggs and why do they lay eggs in the winter? We have information on photoperiodism here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2019/01/22/flashback-blog-when-will-our-eagles-lay-eggs-bald-eagle-breeding-in-iowa-and-florida/. While photoperiodism is the biggest driver of circannual behavior in temperate and arctic birds, other things have an influence: https://www.raptorresource.org/2020/01/27/why-do-bald-eagles-lay-eggs-in-ice-and-snow/. Happy Fri-yay, everyone…do you hear the egg clock starting to tick?
Decorah North Eagles
January 28, 2021: Mr. North fit tests his nest!
January 28, 2021: Testing nest fit – https://youtu.be/eok8pIuWx7Q. We see Mr. North fly into the nest at 12 seconds! He appears to be trying to crawl under DNF as he works his way into the foundation, insinuating himself down into the nest – and beneath DNF’s warm feathers! – for a serious round of nest fit testing. DNF seems determined to stand as close as she can while the Mr. enjoys his bark-a-lounger! This is another great look at how nestorations also help to reinforce pair bonds and a reminder that we are only about three weeks from eggs.
Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain Eagles
January 28, 2021: A raccoon in the North nest!
January 28, 2021: A night-time visitor! https://youtu.be/grcnZ7wAYXA. A ring-tailed masked bandit climbs into the nest to forage through Ma and Pa’s plentiful pantree. They aren’t stockpiling for eaglets yet, but they are leaving plenty of nestovers – more than enough for a hungry raccoon.
Odds and Ends
How whales help cool the earth: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210119-why-saving-whales-can-help-fight-climate-change. This is unbelievably cool!
The Raptor Resource Project