Story and Photos by Robin Brumm
It had been a few weeks since I had been to Decorah, and I wanted to go check on Mom and DM2, so I got up at dark O’clock and off I went. When I got to Decorah, I drove to N4 with a quick drive through the hatchery area. I noticed an eagle in N1 but I wanted to get to N4 early for a better chance to see Mom and DM2.
March 4, 2023: Mom
I got to the N4 area and grabbed my binoculars and camera and headed down the trail. I got to the nest area and saw an eagle on the perch tree! I looked through my binoculars and saw that it looked like Mom! I took a photo and zoomed in…yep, it was Mom! It’s always so good to see her! I really miss her! I tried to talk her into perching a little closer so I could get some closer photos, but she was having none of that! Lol After a short while, she flew off to the north, and DM2 came flying in from the north and flew into N4. I’m not sure if he brought something with him or not. He was bent over like he was eating a fish but his back was to me and I couldn’t tell for sure.
March 4, 2023: DM2 in the nest, Mom on the branch.
Not long after, Mom came back and landed in N4. They both moved a few sticks around and then Mom jumped to a branch in front of the nest. A little while later, DM2 flew off the back of the nest. He circled around and brought a stick into the nest. Mom continued to supervise, and then decided she should help, so she flew off the branch, grabbed a stick and flew back to N4. They did a little stick tango and then DM2 flew off to get another stick. Meanwhile, Mom flew a tree to the right of N4. After a couple of minutes, DM2 followed her and perched on a branch above her. They stayed there for a long time.
March 4, 2023: I believe this was Mom bringing in a small stick!
After watching them, I decided I needed to take a break and go check on the hatchery pair, HD (Hatchery Dad) and HM (Hatchery Mom). I drove up to the hatchery and saw a white head in the nest. I checked the camera on my phone and saw that it was HD. I walked down to the kiosk to get a few pictures. I wondered where HM was, so I checked out the bluffs but didn’t see her. I walked over toward the bridge to see if she was in that area, and she flew into N1. HD flew to a branch in the tree next to the N1 tree. I noticed that HM was in the nest with her tail feathers facing the Hatchery, and it was difficult to see her in the nest. At least I got some good pictures of her wing feathers sticking up, lol. HD eventually flew off toward the west. I believe I saw him land in the tree line behind the farm. That seems to be one of their favorite spots to perch.
March 4, 2023: HD on a branch near N1
By this time, I had stayed a little later than I was planning to, so I got in my car and headed for home. As I drove home I wondered if or when Mom and DM2 were going lay eggs this year. It is a bit later for her, but there is still time. Hopefully the next time I am able to go to Decorah, they will be incubating. Can you believe if Mom lays 3 eggs again this year and they successfully fledge, they will be D40, D41 and D42! That is a lot of eaglets!
RRP appreciates Robin’s generosity in sharing her photos and reminds you they are copyrighted and may not be downloaded without her express written permission.
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