DN13 and DN14 turned 104 and 102 days old today, while falcon Chance turned about 36 days old – roughly four to six days from fledge. It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite video from our post today, but I loved DN14’s tree trimming escapades, the food fight, Chance’s wingercizing, and…who am I kidding? All of them were great! We have around two months to fall and less than that for typical eaglet dispersal, so it’s good to see our eagles and pre-fledgling falcons picking up the skills they need for life beyond the nest. Curious about your own neighborhood? I live on the 45th parallel and I’m just starting to see birds gathering into pre-migratory flocks. Look for them where you live and please let us know what you see!
Thank you watching, sharing, learning, and especially for caring. ❤
Decorah Eagles North
July 7, 2021: DN13 in the rain
July 7, 2021: Doing a little tree trimming – https://youtu.be/qTYGf_XACUI. We know that eagles trim branches to keep favorite perches clean, clear sightlines, and collect nest material. It was fun to watch DN13 and DN14 hang out together – so much to say! – and work on tree trimming skills. I enjoyed the whole video, but I especially liked the shenanigans that started around 2:11. One of the eaglets decides to remove an oak twig and both eaglets have a lot to say about it!
DN13 and DN14 are best friends now, but our transmitter studies so far indicate that siblings don’t tend to disperse together. How long will we get to see them? Thanks to Brett, we know that the average eaglet age at dispersal is 162 days, or nearly 85 days after fledge. If DN13 and DN14 stick to the typical eaglet schedule, they should disperse around September 4, although we’ll see less of them as the season goes on. From early courtship and nest-building through egg-laying, fledge, and post-dispersal care (or avoidance), Mr. North and DNF will have spent around 324 days investing in their young this year.
July 7, 2021: Food Fight! – https://youtu.be/FG0qG-pqxLg. Watch the whole video or start at 1:58, when Mr. North drops off a fish and leaves, with his two fledglings hot on his tail. A food fight follows, with the two fledglings wrestling, screeing, mantling, and practicing their eagle table manners.
July 7, 2021: Slippery when wet! https://youtu.be/TZngwyKDpFs. It’s not easy to stick the landing when everything is wet!
Great Spirit Bluff Falcons
July 3, 2021: Chance explores her wings
July 7, 2021: Chance’s breakfast – https://youtu.be/P9oKxbdtAGQ. Is Chance OK? Just look at her response to Zooey’s prey drop this morning! Zooey brings in prey and Chance grabs it, mantles it, and shows zero interest in sharing it or being fed. The latter seems a little confusing to mother Zooey, who watches intently, bows but doesn’t chup, and eventually stands sentry at the nest box lip. At this age, nestling peregrines don’t need brooding and will loudly food beg at their parents, which means we aren’t seeing as much of Newman or Zooey. The two are still hanging out, just out of our sight, and Chance is still being fed.
July 3, 2021: Wingersizing – https://youtu.be/lBMotDbgq5k. So the part of Chance’s brain that says ‘wings!’ is turning on. She can stand on her feet (falcons start standing on their feet between about 23 and 25 days) which means that she can really start exploring her wings. She flaps and walks around the nest as she wingercizes and gets ready for flight!
Marshall Turkey Vultures
July 7, 2021: It’s a wing thing! The Marshall turkey vultures get ready for fledge.
July 1, 2021: Keeping watch – branching out – https://youtu.be/7EDqrHcsirw. Two nestling vultures about halfway through nest life lounge, preen, and wait for lunch!
The Raptor Resource Project