It’s good to see you at N1, HD and HM, and to see nestorations and bonding ramping up at the North nest. It’s hard to believe that we’re only about one-and-a-half months away from eggs!
Decorah North
January 7, 2024: DNF takes a break from nestorations!
January 7, 2024: Nest work; cornstalk shredding; cornhusk placing – https://youtu.be/JZTHuQ62LTs?si=71Mrmv6Ztw9KfjDQ. As hard as it is to believe, we’re only about a month-and-a-half away from eggs! Mr. and DNF are hard at work shredding cornstalks, spreading grass, and making sure the nest bowl is properly prepared for their egglets. Slow the video down at 1:40 to see a spectacular take-off by DNF as she flies out and over Mr. North!
January 4, 2024: A white-breasted nuthatch at the North Nest.
January 6, 2024: DNF arrives with lunch. An uninvited guest comes by! https://youtu.be/Z5QwdqtfLZI?si=h_yC7KGSjgY16dgc. DNF flies to the Love Tree at the beginning of the video. At 03:25 (check the description for extremely convenient time stamps!), she comes back to the nest with her muskrat and begins to eat, covering the bottom of the nest in soft, grey fur. You might startle at 7:15 when a nearby crow begins cawing loudly. I did, and so did DNF! It hops around the branches just feet from DNF, loudly cawing. It flies out at 8:35 and close-ups begin at 9:14.
January 8, 2024: Mr. North keeps his eyes on the skies!
January 5, 2023: Love in the Afternoon – https://youtu.be/XFAcr8fx-ww?si=EwBLtbAWGu_nbsB0. Afternoon delight begins at 47 seconds! We’ve got a blog on bald eagle copulation here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2023/02/08/courtship-copulation-and-other-things-romantic/. Copulation is an important part of bonding and begins well before female eagles begin producing eggs.
Decorah Eagles
January 8, 2024: HM and HD stop by the N1 tree – https://youtu.be/_QAO4CzRoWE?si=Rdy6gv5oOI0kh0Kd. We’re not sure why HM and HD paid N1 a visit today, but HM had nesting materials, both were vocalizing as if someone else was around, and the neighborhood crow alarm was sounding the watch! Thanks for stopping by, eagles! It’s not too late to move back!
Mississippi Flyway
January 5, 2024: A Great Horned Owl on the Flyway
January 7, 2024: Great Horned Owl on the Flyway – https://youtu.be/bieJBquw0Y0?si=Cl0MGNDrldEksuig. It’s a Superb Owl! Although Great Horned Owls are primarily nocturnal hunters, they sometimes hunt during the day. January 5th was cloudy and dim: excellent conditions for hunting a little earlier than usual. See its eyes? Great Horned Owl eyes are extremely large, even for owls, and are highly adapted for nocturnal hunting. They have a large, almost exclusively binocular field of view, a large corneal surface, a single, well-defined fovea, and a tubular-shaped eye with predominantly rod retina, which helps them detect movement and see well in low light conditions: very important for a nocturnal hunter!
The Raptor Resource Project