RRP’s Winter 2024 Newsletter: Message from the Director

RRP Director John Howe working on the North Nest rebuild in August
RRP Director John Howe working on the North Nest rebuild in August

It is my pleasure to present the Raptor Resource Project’s Winter Newsletter! This year, the predominant theme has been the normalization of extreme weather events throughout the areas we monitor. The good news is that the Bald Eagles, falcons, and other raptors we work with appear to have hardly a feather out of place. Their ability to seek shelter and hunker down during storms is a testament to their incredible resilience. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our equipment and nest support structures. High winds and sustained heavy rains took their toll on cameras, power panels, and nests. However, thanks to thoughtful evaluation, dedicated work, and extensive repairs, we are ready to continue monitoring and celebrating these remarkable birds as they enter the upcoming nesting season.

February 14, 2023: Peregrine Falcon Newman at Great Spirit Bluff.

I believe our long-term Peregrine Falcon monitoring program is critical as we gain an understanding of changing weather patterns and disease vectors, and their effect on raptor populations. We have been documenting migration timing, egg laying, hatching, and post-fledge success along the Mississippi Flyway since 2000. To date, we have not noticed a significant decline in Peregrine Falcon nest occupancy.

2024 Banding Report: https://www.raptorresource.org/raptorresource/pdf/2024BandingReport.pdf

In addition to nest occupancy, we monitor adult changeover/replacement at each location. In 2024, we identified four sites where changeovers occurred and two where they likely occurred. This is well within historical norms and reassuring, given initial concerns about potentially higher losses of nesting peregrines in coastal areas of the U.S. Despite these challenges, we banded 81 Peregrine Falcons this year, tying our record. As far as we know, peregrine losses attributable to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) were limited to one adult during the 2024 nesting season.

DNF and DN18
April 7, 2024: DNF and DN18 at the Decorah North nest

Our nest cam program is a vital part of our raptor monitoring and public education efforts. This year, we witnessed an unsuccessful nesting season for Hatchery Dad and Hatchery Mom at their new nest near the Decorah Fish Hatchery. However, the loss of close up views there was balanced by a wonderful season at the Decorah North Nest. Mr. North and DNF successfully hatched and raised two eaglets, DN17 and DN18, before an extremely wet and windy season brought the nest down. Thankfully, the eaglets had fledged before the collapse. We also celebrated successes at other nests. Mom Decorah and DM2 welcomed their 40th eaglet, D40, at N4. along the Upper Iowa River—a remarkable milestone!

On the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, Mr. and Mrs. T fledged two eaglets at a nest in Trempealeau, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, at Xcel Energy’s Ft. St. Vrain nest, we reached an incredible milestone with the hatch and fledge of FSV49 and FSV50, marking 50 eaglets since our first live streaming eagle cam began in 2003. Additionally, we partnered with the Philippine Eagle Foundation to launch a network of live cams aimed at raising awareness of and fostering appreciation for the endangered Philippine Eagle, extending our reach globally.

We made good progress with our Golden Eagle monitoring and tracking program in 2024 with the addition of five more eagles. We now have tracking and migration data for 12 Golden Eagles wintering in the Driftless Area and have assembled a team to trap and transmit up to seven more adult Golden Eagles in 2025. Our Golden Eagle partners gave us a wonderful glimpse of their summering grounds in the extreme north of Nunavut, Canada, near Hudson Bay and the Northwest Passage. To learn more about them, follow us on social, subscribe to our blog, and check out our interactive Bald and Golden Eagle maps: https://www.raptorresource.org/learning tools/eagle-map/.

2023: Dave Kester with Luther students at the banding station on Hawk Hill in Decorah.

I’m thrilled by the wide reach of our raptor education programs, which engage learners from kindergarten through college. These programs include two hands-on raptor monitoring stations near Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa, and Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin; raptor ambassador visits to schools and STEM events in northwest Iowa; and an Education in-Action chat with downloadable resources utilized by teachers nationwide and around the world. Our live cameras provide education and enjoyment. Tune into news from nature and find wonder in every wingbeat!

We continue to deliver our mission of education, conservation, and research. A heartfelt thanks to our
volunteer moderators, cam operators, videographers, partners, and donors—our live streams, education
programs, and research would not be possible without you! Here’s to an exciting year of raptor research and discovery in 2025!

John Howe

John Howe, Raptor Resource Project Director