Welcome to the world, DN16! We also have a feeding and pip at Decorah North earlier on March 26, a third Canada goose egg in Decorah, and an otter and pintail ducks on the Flyway. We hope you enjoy these videos as much as we did: it is turning out to be a very interesting year in Decorah and an extremely adorable year at Decorah North. Spring is a little late on the Flyway, but we’re still seeing huge flocks of Canada Geese, various gulls, American White Pelicans, and many species of ducks. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled! Even in a late year like this one, spring migration happens fast!
Decorah North
March 26, 2022: Welcome to the world, DN16!
March 26, 2022: And then there were two! DN16 hatched this afternoon at 4:25 PM. DNF and Mr. North are going to have their talons full with two hungry hatchlings!
DN16 almost out of its shell: https://youtu.be/12i-2g3kBS8
Welcome to the world, DN16: https://youtu.be/EquqkyANoz4
DN15 eats and DN16 is here! https://youtu.be/AymV3ubEP3U
What can we expect in the first week following hatching? Like humans, growing eaglets have developmental milestones. They will spend roughly the first week of their life growing, going from about 3.2 ounces to roughly 16 ounces or one pound: an increase of 500% in just seven days! The little hatchlings aren’t able to thermoregulate yet, so we might not see much of them if the weather is cold and wet. They will be busy eating, sleeping, scuffling, and growing stronger as they interact with one another and with DNF and Mr. North. You can learn more about an eaglet’s first week here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/03/27/eaglet-growth-and-development-week-one
March 26, 2022: DN16’s beak is visible at Decorah North
March 27, 2022: There’s a fish on my back, parts one and two – https://youtu.be/gl8_tmbm-5w and https://youtu.be/ARkPDqZO5_M. Why did Mr. North put a fish on DNF’s back? How did he catch such a tiny fish? What kind of fish is that? What is even going on here? So many questions!
March 27, 2022: Mr. North defending his nest – https://youtu.be/rNoZs29rKD4. Listen for the neighborhood crow watch at around 43 seconds. This blog has some fascinating information on corvid vocalizations: https://corvidresearch.blog/2019/03/14/crow-vocalizations-part-ii-qa/. DNF and Mr. North know to pay attention when crows start sounding the alarm!
March 27, 2022: Mr. North defends his nest
March 26, 2027: Bedtime feeding for DN15 – https://youtu.be/RSuvndjvpHs. Goodnight, moon. Goodnight tree. Goodnight eaglet! I love these early feedings. The eaglets aren’t big or experienced enough to handle bone, scales, or large bites, so Mr. North and DNF carefully select tiny morsels of meat to feed their always-hungry eaglets. A lot of feeding is done by feel, since their large beaks create a large blind spot in front of them. We have more on eagle beaks and tongues here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2019/04/05/bald-eagle-tongues-and-beaks/.
Decorah Eagles/Canada Geese
March 28, 2022: Mother Goose lays egg #4 at N2B
We’ve had a lot of questions about the current location of the Decorah eagles. They are nesting by the Upper Iowa river behind the Walmart, about 1.7 miles away from N2B. Here’s a video from our After The Fledge party if you’d like to learn more about nest N3: https://youtu.be/PcXfxBb9VvA.
Geese don’t begin full incubation until around the time their last egg is laid. By delaying incubation, mother goose delays the onset of embryonic development and assures the synchronous hatching of fertilized eggs. Synchronous (closely-timed) hatching is especially important among birds that leave the nest roughly 24 hours after hatching, since unhatched eggs or birds too young to follow their parents die. You can learn more about Canada geese here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/03/25/a-canada-goose-egg-in-the-decorah-eagles-nest/ and here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/03/25/canada-geese-precocial-versus-altricial/.
March 26, 2022: Goose egg number three at Decorah! https://youtu.be/YVeHz64UoDk
March 25, 2022: Canada Goose lays second egg – https://youtu.be/86MCfNmnLNk
Mississippi Flyway
March 23, 2022: Northern Pintail Ducks on the Flyway
March 23, 2022: Pintails – https://youtu.be/KI3w9SFj2Hs. A wonderful look at one of the world’s most beautiful ducks.
March 22, 2022: Mink – https://youtu.be/Pft2IZJptvI. I believe this is actually an otter based on what little we can see of this animal’s face. Otter are wonderful animals and I would love to see them here! Their presence is a sign that the ecosystem is healthy: https://www.neefusa.org/nature/plants-and-animals/otter-success.
The Raptor Resource Project