Is your egg clock ticking? Mr. North and DNF have us counting down! DNF laid her first egg last year on February 20. If she keeps to her schedule – or lays eggs a little earlier, which could happen given the mild weather – we’re looking at eggs in nineteen days. Nineteen days? How could that be!? We’ll post our best egg guesstimates for everyone tomorrow. In the meantime, kick back and enjoy the videos!
Decorah North
Glamour shots! DNF is beautiful.
January 25, 2024: Beautiful DNF close-ups: https://youtu.be/njzaA9i52yM?si=dk9bBNBRn1wTC8tP. Exactly as the title says! Close-ups start around 15 seconds.
January 23, 2024: Dual stick deliveries – https://youtu.be/1_LU27EeIO0?si=r3NJNlkf7XfGrJci. I love dual stick deliveries! Mr. North is moving a large stick around when DNF wings her way to the nest with another one. Close-ups begin at 1:51 as the two alternately pause to pay attention to the neighborhood crow watch between working on the nest and gently pecking at one another. The nursery – nestory? – is coming along very nicely and the floor is so thickly carpeted with grass that it makes me want to take a nap!
January 23, 2024: A Northern Cardinal forages for scraps in the north Nest
January 23, 2024: Mr. Cardinal visits the North nest – https://youtu.be/dy4_79JczLA?si=yfdA5nVlyWyyelkX. A scarlet male Northern Cardinal forages for scraps in the North nest, vivid against a backdrop of snow.
January 23, 2024: Mr N brings prey, DNF arrives & takes it – https://youtu.be/oNFxbiQ1fVQ?si=Ov5GVeOPFM4OP19s. I’d rather have a box of chocolates, but DNF prefers wild game. Sometimes love means having to give up your dinner!
We’ll almost certainly be reposting this, but if your egg clock is ticking, you might not want to wait for this guide to all things (eagle) romantic! https://www.raptorresource.org/2023/02/08/courtship-copulation-and-other-things-romantic/.
January 22, 2024: Mr. North and DNF
January 22, 2024: HM & HD work on the nest, the light is beautiful! https://youtu.be/31a92biTb-k?si=GB53p6DEsQJKO3VS. This video opens with beautiful gold and pink clouds floating across the sky as a crow calls in the distance. The camera operator switches to the nest at 1:12 and we get a wonderful look at the work DNF and Mr. North have been doing. She flies into the nest at 1:27 and the two work side by side, gilded with golden early morning light. Look for an especially fun sequence as the two spread grass together beginning at 9:26, with some gentle beak nibbles at 10:00! This is a really lovely video.
January 22, 2024: A Red-Tailed Hawk visits Decorah North
January 22, 2024: Red-tailed Hawk visits Decorah North – https://youtu.be/lDuJ1nCGmAc?si=JM4_F8_0L5KIlYvQ. The neighborhood crow alarm sounds the watch as a Red-tailed Hawk checks out the Decorah North nest. Its tail is red but its eyes still look a little pale, which might indicate a new or young adult. We get a really nice look at it from behind beginning at about 2:50. I love its brown and cream plumage and the clear scapular V – an excellent field mark for red-tailed hawks. Looking for more ID tips? Check out Cornell: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id.
The Raptor Resource Project