Where are Golden Eagles 733 and 834? The last time we checked in, they were both in Ontario, 400 and 300 miles north of their wintering grounds, respectively. 834 has since arrived back on his wintering grounds near Tell, WI, while 733 isn’t far from Eau Claire, WI. We’ll see if she makes it down to the wintering grounds she used last year.
Subadult male 834 summered in Nunavut, up above the arctic circle. He’s traveled over 2300 miles since we began tracking him in March of 2023. ‘Homebody’ sub-adult female 733 – only a homebody in comparison with 834 – summered in northeastern Manitoba along Hudson’s Bay. Both were farther north than any of the Bald Eagles we’ve tracked, although D27 came close. Long-distance champion 834 was roughly 1500 miles NNW of his wintering grounds at his northernmost point, while 733 was about 970 miles north of hers. Interestingly, she summered further south than she did last year, when she traveled as far north as 68 degrees, up near Kugaaruk in Nunavut: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BmGJMBmxkrg7YwQz7.
834 has so far displayed remarkable fidelity to his wintering grounds, since he is currently located within a handful of miles from his capture location. Both eagles took northern and southern migration routes that were slightly different from one another. We hope to see whether they use those routes again next year, and where 733 decides to winter! We’ll see if we can get some pictures of them this year to look at plumage stages and overall condition.