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Fort St. Vrain Eagles and Blogs

Nothing Goes to Waste

March 16, 2021 RaptorResource

Xcel Energy’s Fort St. Vrain eagles rode the big storm out last weekend. Despite an astonishing twelve or so inches of snow, Ma kept the eggs covered through most of it. Male and female eagles both incubate eggs, but females usually cover the nest at night and through bad weather. A female eagle’s larger body size and brood patch helps her stay still for longer periods of time and apply more heat to the eggs and young beneath her. Unfortunately,

Fort Saint Vrain Eagle Nest Rebuild Project

October 28, 2020 John Howe

By John Howe. We surprised the Fort St. Vrain Eagles with a new nest! Late August to early September is our typical time period for completing eagle nest cam maintenance at the Xcel Energy facility in Fort Saint Vrain Colorado. We were hit with a big surprise the week before heading out for a routine camera cleaning project when we heard from Bill Heston. Bill, our local Xcel Energy eagle cam expert and facility engineer, reported that about 75% of the

March 10: Decorah, Decorah North, Xcel Fort St. Vrain, The Flyway, Odds and Ends!

March 10, 2020 RaptorResource

It’s a NestFlix megaroll! We have videos from Decorah, Decorah North, Fort St. Vrain, and the Flyway, plus great bird news from Guam and Hawaii! This is a great time to start watching the Flyway – but keep your eyes peeled, since spring migration happens very quickly! Today marks about 24 days until hatch in Decorah, 17 days until hatch at Decorah North, and 13 days until hatch at Xcel Fort St. Vrain – although remember, it could come a

Eagles, eagles, eagles: Nestflix from Decorah, Decorah North, and Fort St. Vrain

January 24, 2020 RaptorResource

Love is in the air at Fort St. Vrain, Mr. North and DNF shovel snow, DM2 makes a brief visit to the nest, and Mom and DM2 perch on the maple. It was great to see them: happy Fri-yay, everyone! Decorah Eagles 1/24/20: Mom and DM2 perch on the maple – https://youtu.be/EiNhAeEVKnw. We know it’s winter. We know that eagles aren’t always active in the cold. We know that Mom can open her tender right eye and see well enough

When will the eagles start laying eggs?

January 21, 2020 RaptorResource

Tik-tok egg clock! When can we expect our eagles to begin laying eggs? If they follow their usual schedules: The Xcel Fort St. Vrain eagles should begin laying eggs in mid-February. Look for laying to start between February 12 and February 21. The Decorah eagles should begin laying eggs in mid-to-late February. Look for laying to start between February 17 and February 23. The Decorah North eagles should begin laying eggs in mid-to-late February. We only have one year of

Videos and #SundaySweets

December 15, 2019 RaptorResource

We have your #SundaySweets, including videos from the Decorah, Decorah North, and Xcel Fort St. Vrain eagles, a link to more information on molt (the feathers are flying!), and musings on symmetry. We hope you enjoy these videos as much as we did. Thanks so much to our camera operators and videomakers for finding and sharing such special moments, and to you for watching, sharing, learning, and caring! <3 Decorah Eagles 12/14/19: Older SA replaces younger SA on the maple

GivingTuesday video round-up!

December 3, 2019 RaptorResource

What a great day we had! Thanks everyone for joining us in chat and on Facebook…especially Mom and DM2, who put on quite a show as they worked on N2B, got beaky with one another, and hauled in stick after stick after stick! The warm, sunny weather following a snowstorm provides our eagles with the perfect opportunity to nestorate and interact, something we saw in Decorah, Decorah North, and at Xcel Fort Saint Vrain. I was surprised to see Sandhill

A Reflection and a Thanksgiving

November 27, 2019 RaptorResource

What are feathers? What is molt?

May 19, 2019 RaptorResource

Eaglets go through two molts and three feather stages in the nest: natal down (and molt), followed by thermal down (and molt), followed by juvenile feathers. As of this blog, the Decorah eaglets are shedding the very last of their natal down and their thermal down is rapidly being replaced by juvenile down and feathers. We thought we would blog a little more about feathers to celebrate! When we think about feathers, we tend to think about their qualities (light,

What is up with our eagle Moms?

May 9, 2019 RaptorResource

We first blogged on this subject on April 30, 2014, but we’re asked about Mom’s behavior every spring. Wondering where the love went? This blog is for you! We’ve had several questions and comments about our eagle Moms. Why are they so demanding? Why are they mad at their mates? Why are they so mean? While I can find snippets of behavior that seem loving to human observers – shared incubation duty, mutual nest defense, and tandem feedings, to name

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