An update on Mom and DM2. Story and photos by Robin Brumm
It’s been a really long time since I’ve gone to Decorah to check on Mom and DM2! Since the weather was finally cooperating for the weekend, I decided to go on Saturday morning, so I packed up my camera and off I went. To see Mom and DM2’s nest, you have to walk down the trail quite a ways. I always bring my foldable wagon and pack my cameras, lawn chair, umbrella, snacks and drinks, because when I go, I plan on staying for several hours.
April 12, 2025: Mom flying to the nestI finally got to Decorah and headed down the trail. I could see right away that there was somebirdy on the nest. I set up my lawn chair and grabbed my binoculars. Although the nest is very far away and it is hard to see, I believe it was Mom in the nest. As I was watching, she stood up and put her head down to the nest. She would bring her head up, look around a bit and then put her head back down into the nest. I’m pretty sure she was feeding some little ones! As much as I tried to stretch my neck, I could not see any little bobbleheads. I’ve always said I need an 80 foot selfie stick (or a really tall ladder) so I can get a picture from above the nest height, lol. After Mom finished what looked like feeding, she settled back onto the nest. Amy’s note: Robin, if I can find an 80′ selfie stick, you’ll get the first one! ;)
Finally DM2 flew in and landed on a tree, several trees away from the nest. He perched there for awhile and then flew across the river to the dead tree. Just a few minutes later, he flew to their favorite perch tree along the river. He kept looking down at the river. I’m guessing he was trying to fish, but didn’t seem to be having any luck. Eventually he flew to the nest and Mom left and flew to the perch tree. I guess it was her turn to try fishing, because she kept looking down at the river. I looked through my binoculars to see what DM2 was doing and when I looked back to the perch tree, Mom was gone! I looked around the area and to my surprise, she was in a tree closer to where I was sitting, in a tree line along a field. She was still looking down at the river, looking for that perfect fish.. I had never seen either of them perched in that tree before. She flew back to the perch tree and then back to the field tree perch. She finally flew off and swooped down below the bank, so I couldn’t see if she caught a fish or not. She flew into the nest, and DM2 quickly flew out.
April 12, 2025: Mom on the field perch treeBy this time I had been there several hours and needed to head home. So I packed up my things and headed back to my car. I will definitely go back as soon as I can. I can’t wait to see how many little ones are in the nest this year. This year, the first chick will be D41. I can’t believe Mom has successfully raised 40 eaglets to fledge! What a Mom!
DM2 on the perch treeRRP appreciates Robin’s generosity in sharing her photos and reminds you they are copyrighted and may not be downloaded without her express written permission.
The Raptor Resource Project