Raptor Resource Project: Bald Eagle and Bird of Prey Cams

Where did the Decorah Eagles go? They built a new nest at a location that is out of range of our cameras. We will report on them but, depending on where they nest, we may not be able to watch them live. However, Mr. North and DNF are very busy preparing for eggs at the Decorah North nest. You can watch and chat here and we’ll keep everyone posted. https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/decorah-north-nest/.

About the Decorah Eagles

About the Decorah Eagles

The Decorah eagles moved their nest from their location near the Decorah Trout Hatchery to a tree over a mile away and out of view of our cameras.. The female is known as Mom and the male is known as DM2. In general, the eagles begin courtship in October, productive mating in late January or early February, and egg-laying in mid to late February. Hatching usually begins in late March to early April, and the eaglets fledge in mid-to-late June. While young usually disperse between August and October, the adults remain on territory year round. They eat live and dead fish, squirrels, other birds, rabbit, muskrat, deer, possum and anything else they can catch or find. To learn more about bald eagles, please follow this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. Visiting Decorah to see the eagles? Please read through our guide to eagle etiquette >> Bald Eagle Etiquette.

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Female eagles are larger than male eagles, with slightly darker heads and more pronounced brows. The image below shows the differences in appearance between Mom and DM2 and should help in ID’ing them.

History of the Decorah Eagles

Dad, Mom’s original mate, disappeared in April of 2018. Based on plumage color, Mom was four years old in 2007, making her eighteen years old in 2021. Click here for a guide to aging bald eagles based on plumage color and patterns.

After two other males came and went (you can read more about that here), Mom accepted a third suitor in the fall of 2018. She and DM2 are entering their third season together.

Nest Territory and Locations

Four nests (N0, N1, N2, and N2B) have been built on the Decorah territory. N0 was destroyed in a storm, the eagles left N1 on their own, and N2 was also destroyed in a storm. Fourth nest N2B is a little more complicated. Humans Neil Rettig and Kike Arnal built N2B in August of 2015. We hoped the starter nest would encourage the eagles to adopt it and keep building, which they did! Footage of the build can be seen here: https://youtu.be/2-xRSBBeIYs. A blog about the nest build can be read here.

2018: Dad disappears in April of 2018. He is last seen at N2B on April 18, 2018. After two male eagles come and go, Mom accepts new mate DM2, for Decorah Male 2. The two begin working on N2B in October.
2015: N2 is destroyed during a storm the morning of July 18. In August, humans build a nest (N2B) to encourage the eagles to begin building near the former location of N2. Mom and Dad adopt N2B in October of 2015.
2012: Mom and Dad begin a new nest (N2) in mid-October on the north bank of Trout Creek about 700 feet from N1, which is still standing
2007: N0 is destroyed during a storm. Dad and OM begin building a new nest (N1) in the yard of a home just north of the hatchery. OM disappears in early fall. 2007: A four-year old female (Mom) joins Dad at N1 in early December.
2002’ish: the male eagle (Dad) and his original mate (OM) build a nest (N0) in the hills to the east of the hatchery

Quick facts

Common name: Bald Eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Length: 2.3–3.1 feet | 71–96 cm
Wingspan: 5.9 – 7.5 feet | 1.7-2.2 meters
Weight: 6.5 – 13.8 pounds | 3–6.3 kilograms
Lifespan: Up to 40 years in the wild

Bald Eagle Vocalization

Eaglet Growth and Development: Week Three

Posted: April 12, 2021

We’re writing a series of blogs about the first few weeks of an eaglet’s life. An eaglet spends roughly 75 to 80 days in the nest. For about the first half, it grows and gains weight. For about the second half, it grows flight feathers and starts developing the skills it will need post-fledge. We will focus on week three in this blog. DN13 and DN14 are 18 and 16 days old. During week two (seven to 14 days), the

April 5, 2021: DN13, left and DN14, right

Eaglet Growth and Development, Week Two

Posted: April 5, 2021

We’re writing a series of blogs about the first few weeks of an eaglet’s life. An eaglet spends roughly 75 to 80 days in the nest. For about the first half, it grows and gains weight. For about the second half, it grows flight feathers and starts developing the skills it will need post-fledge. We will focus on week two in this blog. In their second week of development, the eaglets will gain roughly two pounds, experience rapid growth in

Eaglet Growth and Development: Week One

Posted: March 26, 2021

We’re writing a series of blogs about the first few weeks of an eaglet’s life. An eaglet spends roughly 75 to 80 days in the nest. For about the first half, it grows and gains weight. For about the second half, it grows flight feathers and starts developing the skills it will need post-fledge. We will focus on week one in this blog. What can we expect in the first week following hatching? Like humans, growing eaglets have developmental milestones.

How do we know falcon Zooey’s age?

Posted: March 24, 2021

How do we know that falcon Zooey is two years old? Peregrine falcons have two distinct age-related plumages: juvenile and adult. Juvenile falcons have heavily barred underparts and brownish topsides (“brown birds”), mature falcons have pale undersides with black-barred bellies and blue/slate topsides (“blue meanies”), and two-year-old falcons like Zooey have a mix of adult and juvenile feathers. I love this stage! Tail Feathers (Retrices) Like all peregrine falcons, Zooey has twelve tailfeathers that are numbered one to six from

Tik-tok hatch clock! We’re on hatch watch at Decorah North!

Posted: March 22, 2021

We are on hatch watch at Decorah North! While both eaglets still have open body cavities, most of their major morphological changes are done. At this point: Their eyelids still need to close all the way. Their eyes are growing into their sockets, more or less. Eaglets often have big bulgy ‘blueberry eyes’ when they hatch. Their eyes settle into their sockets during the first few days after hatch. Natal down is growing from feather germs. The chicks are squirming

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News

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October 11, 2021: DNF (left) and Mr. North (right) at the North nest.

October 12, 2021: Decorah, Decorah North, and the Mississippi Flyway!

Posted: October 11, 2021

Welcome back, everyone! It’s great to see Mr. North and DNF again and we’re getting tantalizing views of Mom on the maple and bluff up above the hatchery! We’re still not sure where the Decorah Eagles are going to nest this year, but we’ll be watching all three nests (N1, N2B, and N3) and hope to have a boots-on-the-ground report within the next week. Can we remove the dead tree that Mom and DM2 are nesting in right now? Removing

The Decorah and Decorah North Eagles are Coming Back!

Posted: October 6, 2021

Welcome back, everyone! The Decorah and Decorah North eagles are coming back on Saturday, October 9, at 12:00 nest time (CT). Our Decorah moderators are celebrating with a ‘Welcome Back’ Chat from noon to 3PM CT. Watch and chat or perch here: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/decorah-eagles/. Our Decorah North moderators are celebrating with a special chat beginning at noon. Watch and chat or perch here: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/decorah-north-nest/. Do you hang out at Explore.org? You can watch the Decorah Eagles here: https://explore.org/livecams/raptor-resource-project/decorah-eagles and the Decorah

September 23, 2021: Mr. North from the new camera at the North nest. He looks wonderful!

Cam work round-up!

Posted: October 5, 2021

More pics from the field! We finished cam work in Decorah on September 27th. Overall, we installed five cameras (two at the north nest and three at a new nest) and two microphones, cleaned eleven cameras, trimmed trees, measured the North nest and our new nest, took some unused equipment down, and built a starter nest at N1. We are turning the streams back on Saturday, October 9, at noon nest time (central) and our wonderful volunteers are planning a

Wolf Creek Falls in Banning State Park. Photo by Robert Johnson.

Where are eagles D27 and D36?

Posted: September 20, 2021

Where are eagles D27 and D36? I’m delighted to report that we got postcards from both of them earlier this week! As you might recall, D27 left for Canada on July 16 – about the time that we were thinking she might be looking for a place to settle down! She’s tended to migrate north between mid-to-late May and early June, although she’s drifted later as she’s aged. Still, her mid-July departure caught us by surprise! Whatever the reason –

Nest and cameras work update

Posted: September 20, 2021

Happy Tuesday, everyone! A quick update: we finished work at the North nest, where we replaced two cameras, took old equipment down, and measured the North nest. The outside measurement – farthest stick to farthest stick! – is 12 feet by 8.25 feet. The inside measurement – the part the eagles use – is 6.25 by 6 feet. It’s hard to get a height on this nest, but I’m guessing four feet. It’s a big nest! In Decorah, we cleaned

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Nest Records

Decorah Eagles 2021 Nesting Record

Egg-Laying
Egg-laying began on February 24th or 25th.

Hatching
Hatch began on April 4th or April 5th. Robin Brumm confirmed three nestlings on April 16.

Fledging
Fledge began on or around June 20.

Eaglets and Outcomes >>

Year	Nest	Eaglets	Outcomes
2020	N2B	3 – D34, D35, D36	All three eaglets fledged successfully. We are following D35 and D36 via satellite.
2019	N2B	2 – D32, D33	Both eaglets abandoned the nest early following an intense blackfly swarm. Both were cared for at SOAR and have since been released.
2018	N2B	3 – D29, D30, D31	All fledged.
2017	N2B	3 – D26, D27, D28	All fledged. We are following D27 via satellite.
2016	N2B	2 – D24, D25	D25 was struck by a car and died. We are following D24 via satellite.
2015	N2	3 – D21, D22, D23	All fledged
2014	N2	3 – D20, D19, D18	All fledged. D18 and D19 were electrocuted. D20 is still alive and living at SOAR.
2013	N2	3 – D17, D16, D15	All fledged
2012	N1	3 – D14, D13, D12	All fledged. D12 and D14 were electrocuted.
2011	N1	3 – E1, E2, E3	All fledged. We last saw D1 in July of 2014. Her current status is unknown
2010	N1	3 – Not named	All fledged
2009	N1	3 – Not named	All fledged
2008	N1	2 – Not named	All fledged

We often get questions about where the eaglets go after they disperse. We tracked eaglets in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017 to try to answer this question. For more information, visit our eagle maps.

Videos

Decorah Eagles Video Playlist

Click the icon on the top left of the stream to view a full list of videos from our 2021 playlist, or visit our our YouTube channel.