Our eagles rode the winter storm out, although they don’t look especially excited about snow recovery and removal. We’re glad that they didn’t fly south for the winter, but I sometimes wonder how they feel about about deep snow and all of the uninvited guests! Grab your favorite beverage and snacks and put your feet up – time to Friday night NestFlix and chill!
Decorah Eagles
January 19, 2023: HD and HM.
January 20, 2023: HD to the nest, several SA’s in the area, HD & HM on guard – https://youtu.be/cTjapn8qvpU. It was a busy day in Decorah today, since snow and ice have eagles flocking into the Decorah area. The uninvited guests kept HD and HM on their toes – er, talons – today! More eagles here: https://youtu.be/mCIM3AZmGN0.
January 20, 2023: Where did all these eagles come from? Uninvited guests kept HD and HM busy today!
January 20, 2023: 8 am HD has fish breakfast on N1 – https://youtu.be/MBq1t5evho8. It’s lucky that HD cleaned out the pan-tree before everyone showed up! I enjoyed the unique view of his breakfish – a frozen trout, I think! – at 1:24. At 2:01, we see that HD and HM have started their snow clearing and nest recovery operations. A couple of cornhusks decorate the floor of the nest.
January 19, 2023: Why didn’t we migrate? HM does not appear happy about all of the snow!
January 19, 2023: Three cute playful squirrels in the nest – https://youtu.be/vdSQpbNwG0Q. This could be a mating chase. At this latitude, fox squirrels bear two litters a year – one in the spring and one of the fall. Mating for the spring litter starts in late December and may continue through late January or early February.
Decorah North
January 20, 2023; Why do we winter here? Mr. North doesn’t seem very excited either!
January 19, 2023: Snowy nest, nice flights: https://youtu.be/DAtiqiPxj6Y. Do eagles ever shake their heads and regret their decision to stay north? If they do, this could be the winter for it! Mr. North begins work in the deep snow, trampling quite a bit of it as he moves around. After 9 minutes and 28 seconds, he appears to have had enough of it and flies out. We used to joke about squirrels with snowblowers, but I’m sure the eagles would welcome them this year!
January 20, 2023: Mr. North, close up! What a handsome eagle!
January 18, 2023: Nestoration, fit test, copulation: https://youtu.be/TA8VEIvhrkk. Squirrels aren’t the only ones copulating! As hard as it is to believe – where does the time go? – DNF will most likely begin laying eggs less than a month from now. Tick tock egg clock!
January 20, 2023: A Red-tailed hawk near the North nest.
The Raptor Resource Project