We’ve got a short, sweet NestFlix round up from all of our eagle nests tonight! The Decorah and Xcel Fort St. Vrain eagles were busy with nest work today, while the Norths took a break to stretch their wings and do a little bit of soaring. We hope that you enjoy these NestFlix as much as we did! Thanks so much for donating to our Giving Tuesday fundraiser yesterday! We’ll have images and links for you tomorrow.
Decorah Eagles
November 23, 2022: HD and HM enjoy an evening meal of fishie al fresco on N1.
November 30, 2022: A spectacular glimpse of HD through pine tree boughs at the back of the hatchery!November 30, 2022: Semi-frozen fish for two, HM grabs a piece – https://youtu.be/VXJujyQx-ig. The video opens with HD and HM perched on a tall pine at the back of the hatchery. They both fly out and begin hunting the retention pond, flushing up several crows. They do a little bit of mobbing and one of them tail chases HM, who appears to be chasing HD. Guess who has a fish?
At 1:30, we see HM and HD near N1. He hopes into the nest and starts working on his fishcicle! It isn’t very easy to eat frozen food, but he expertly tears it apart, gripping it with his talons and using his beak to grab, twist off, and lever out frozen chunks.
HM has been watching from her nearby perch. At 6:08, she decides that it’s her turn for breakfish! She flies in, shoulders him aside, and grabs a large chunk of fish. The two of them enjoy a little fishie al fresco side by side in the golden afternoon sunlight until HD expresses an interest in HM’s fish! She doesn’t want to share, so he cleans his plate, feaks his beak, and flies out at 9:20.
Decorah North
November 29, 2022: DNF at DNN. It looks like Mr. North brought her some lovely cornhusk roses! I love the husks, stalks, and leaves…and so do squirrels and mice!
November 29, 2022: DNF flies in to roust a squirrel from her nest – https://youtu.be/4yOYIE2JfbA. We see DNF across the field before cutting to a fox squirrel in DNN. It quickly darts away from the nest as DNF flies in!
Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain Eagles
November 30, 2022: A red-tailed hawk at the FSV nest – https://youtu.be/2N_p1MnrHFc. An adult Red-tailed Hawk visits the Fort St. Vrain Bald Eagle nest. It didn’t appear to be scavenging for food in the nest bowl, but it may have been using the nest as a hunting perch. While it’s not an especially safe place to hunt from, adult Red-tailed hawks are more maneuverable than bald eagles. This may be a local bird: we commonly see Red-tailed hawks here when we do camera and nest work and it might feel more comfortable with, or at least be more familiar with, the behavior of its eagle neighbors. Thanks to Lisa Levesque for the original footage!
Flyway Photos
Followers and camera operators caught some very cool captures this week and I wanted to share them! If you are making Flyway videos, drop me an email ([email protected]) with a link and I will follow you on YouTube!
November 28, 2022: How many eagles can you count? Convocation and soar are two collective nouns for a group of eagles, but I think we could add quarrel or frenzy when food is involved!
November 23, 2022: A female Hooded Merganser's crest gleams in the sunlight as she rides the waves on Lake Onalaska. Mergansers are diving ducks that hunt small fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans (especially crayfish), amphibians, vegetation, and mollusks. I believe a Mallard Duck is floating in the foreground.
November 23, 2022: A male Hooded Merganser! Hooded Mergansers dive in clear, shallow water and locate prey by sight, with eyes that are specially adapted to seeing underwater.
November 23, 2022: A closer look at the merganser. I love his vivid black and white crest!
November 30, 2022: Sandhill Cranes and a Mallard Duck.
The Raptor Resource Project