December 15, 2022: Mr. North's not-so-roast beast!
December 15, 2022: Mr. North.
December 15, 2022: DNF finishes her not-so-roast beast while Mr. North sits sentinel on the ladder branch.
December 15, 2022: Snowflakes that fall on eagles and feather lashes! I love watching eagles in falling snow. This is Mr. North.
December 12, 2022: DNF seen through trees. I love these intimate glimpses into the lives of the eagles we watch.Mr. North and DNF enjoyed an early Christmas dinner this afternoon! Mr. North flew in with a large not-so-roast beast, vocalizing and mantling as another eagle – DNF? – flew past over the pasture. He took a breather before tucking into his ready-to-eat meal at 3:04, tearing and gobbling down large chunks of meat. DNF flies in to join him at 10:37, dropping down into the nest and moving in despite Mr. North’s mantling. Slow down the video at 10:34 and check out Mr. North’s reaction and her very cool hover-like drop into the nest!
Bald Eagle feeding hierarchies are largely based on size and Mr. North has already eaten quite a bit, so he doesn’t protest (much) when DNF takes over. He feaks his beak and nibbles at nestovers before hop-flapping out to stand sentinel on the snow-covered ladder branch. It’s a beautiful snowy day in the Valley of the Norths!
Odds and Ends
This song reminded me of snowflakes falling in the valley of the Norths today. I hope you like it as much as I did! Purple Snowflakes: https://youtu.be/zVVonkHdrBw!
Extinctions, shrinking habitat spur rewilding in cities – https://apnews.com/article/science-detroit-animals-wildlife-coyotes-963ec92dd29e74f1fad6c439e6ac348f. This is a fascinating article, if a little sad. But it reminds me that the rewilding of the Peregrine Falcon started in urban centers, the internet went crazy for Canada Geese this year, and everyone’s favorite eagles to watch online also seem to be those they can see in real life. Nothing can replace truly wild lands. But there is something very powerful about people finding mutually beneficial ways to coexist with nature in urban spaces.
I have a couple of book recommendations! If you buy them on amazon smile, it will benefit the Raptor Resource Project (assuming we are your charity). If you buy it from your local bookstore, it will benefit them. Either way, you get a book and everyone wins!
The Driftless Reader: https://smile.amazon.com/Driftless-Reader-Curt-D-Meine/dp/0299314804/. This book gathers writings that highlight the unique natural and cultural history, landscape, and literature of the Driftless: the landscape of the Decorah Eagles, the Decorah North Eagles, the Great Spirit Bluff Falcons, and the Mississippi Flyway. It includes stories, poetry, historical information, and art, and is a great book for anyone who loves the Driftless!
A Primate’s Memoir. I’m not going to link to this one because the only copy I saw on amazon smile cost $80! Don’t pay that much. But if you can find it locally, it is a fantastic and complicated memoir. From goodreads: “In the tradition of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Robert Sapolsky, a foremost science writer and recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant, tells the mesmerizing story of his twenty-one years in remote Kenya with a troop of Savannah baboons”. I love this book.
The Raptor Resource Project