How is DH2 doing? We have a NestFlix round-up from Decorah with videos that show all the rewards and pitfalls of being a fledgling eaglet: synchronized fly-ins, perching pitfalls, food chase breakfish delivery, and warm sunny days! We hope you enjoy these videos as much as we did!
Before the round-up: we’ve had some questions regarding DH2’s eventual dispersal. Brett’s research found that eaglets from the Decorah nest dispersed in early September on average, although some individuals dispersed earlier and some dispersed later. Either way, we should have a while to watch and enjoy her before she leaves!
Decorah Eagles
July 11- 2023: DH2 misses the landing, recovers and flies upstream – https://youtu.be/CoNngn15ySU. Did we mention that DH2 is learning how to fly? This lesson looks alarming, but recovering from failure – in this case, to perch – is as important as landing correctly in the first place! The perching pratfall looks like DH2 is clambering on a jungle gym, but s/he puts her talons to good use, recovers, and flies off!
July 11, 2023: The Fly-In – https://youtu.be/v9MvMcknnOs. Synchronized flying with HM and DH2! Talk about skills! A longer version of this video shows that DH2 was chasing HM because she had food: https://youtu.be/JnMsCGz923A. HM drops a squirrel in the nest and quickly flies out before DH2 mistakes her toes for food. We get close-ups starting at 5:03!
We see this kind of play/flight training in peregrine falcons as well. Food chasing, food drops, and food perches help young raptors learn important skills and build strength and coordination post-fledge. DH2 is earning Outdoor School badges in soaring, pursuit, landing, plunging, and stealing – skills that will be useful when s/he leaves for Eagle College in September!
July 11, 2023: DH2 on the Y-Branch
July 11, 2023: DH2 close-up on the Y-Branch – https://youtu.be/UNA5wsWj9Rk. DH2 looks beautiful! The fledgling perches on the Y as leaves rustle and horses walk by. We see and hear the vivid world all around DH2: crows and smaller birds (note that DH2 already pays attention to the neighborhood crow watch), vehicles passing by the hatchery, and DH2’s own calls. At 3:40, we get a look at the beautiful plumage beneath DH2’s wings just before a poop shoot. DH2 flies out at the end of the video, strong and confident. Our eaglet has a lot of flight training left, but has clearly gained skills since fledging on June 30!
July 10, 2023: DH2 and lightning show, 9:45 PM – https://youtu.be/UX9OZV0hE60. DH2 is perched on the Y. At 33 seconds, we get a look at a lightning show to the southwest of the hatchery. The display is impressive, but DH2 appears to slumber through it!
July 10, 2023: A barred owl on the Y-Branch!
July 10, 2023: Barred owl to the Y, 4:33am – https://youtu.be/Sf4o0brl9T0. A barred owl lands on the Y at seven seconds. It flies so silently that we don’t hear anything until it lands. It perches motionlessly until 32 seconds, when it suddenly looks around and flies rapidly upwards. We hear DH2 vocalize starting at about 40 seconds and a strike at 45 seconds. Some debris is knocked down from above and an adult eagle – HM, perched near DH2? – joins in the chorus of alarm calls. The owl is presumably frightened away and DH2 settles down.
July 8, 2023: A subadult at the hatchery.
July 8, 2023: A beautiful subadult visitor in the pine – https://youtu.be/lksFAztJw64. Exactly as the title says! A beautiful subadult visitor perches in the pine tree. It is most likely a 4-year-old based on what can we see of its head (the ‘osprey’ stage) and tail. That would mean this eagle hatched in 2019. It isn’t D32 or D33, who were driven from the nest by a blackfly swarm, taken to SOAR, and banded before their release. But it is beautiful!
Why don’t subadult bald eagles have white heads and tails? It’s generally believed that a bald eagle’s plumage allows other eagles to classify it as ‘adult’ or ‘not an adult’ at a distance. Although nesting adults are notoriously territorial and respond strongly to other adults, a young eagle’s brownish plumage allows it to wander (mostly) unbothered through adult territories in the post-fledging and dispersal periods. In short, snap age identification helps breeding eagles choose who to respond aggressively to, while hungry youngsters might be able to rest or pick up a quick meal in the rich breeding territory of adults who aren’t worried about them.
The Raptor Resource Project