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Search Results for: eaglet growth

April 15th, 2019: Nestflix and news!

April 15, 2019 RaptorResource

Whatta day, as Sherri Elliott used to say! The eaglets at both Decorah nests are growing like weeds, eating like piglets, sprouting clown clompers, and beginning to take cues not just from parents, but from the wider world around them. I loved all of these videos, but I especially enjoyed DN9 flapping its tiny wings, cowghetti for lunch, and an attempted tandem feeding by Mom and DM2. We cannot thank the camera operators and video makers enough for sharing these

April 10, 2019: Nestflix and News!

April 10, 2019 RaptorResource

Get yourself a mug of something warm for tonight’s Nestflix and news! Michelle laid her fourth egg at Great Spirit Bluff today, snow moved into the Decorah area, watchers worried about D33 getting enough food (D33 is getting enough food – SuperMom knows her eaglet business!) and birds came and went on the Flyway. We might see a mini-stackup on the Flyway since snow and blizzard conditions are forecast north for the next day and a half. We’re not happy

May 1, 2024: News and NestFlix from Decorah North and Trempealeau

May 1, 2024 RaptorResource

DN17 and DN18 turn 38 and 37 days old today and we’re getting asked about their likely sexes. We’ll be looking and listening for differences, but we wanted to address a couple of interesting factors when it comes to eaglet size and sex. After about 30 days, the weights of the two sexes begin to diverge as females gain weight faster than males. Mark Stalmaster tells us that three major circumstances influence the relative sizes of nestmates: early hatchers are

News and NestFlix from Decorah North and The Flyway

April 24, 2024 RaptorResource

DN17 and DN18 turn 30 and 31 days old today! The dynamic duo are tracking and paying attention to life outside the nest: the place that their parents come from and go to, often bearing food, and the world that their parents see, hear, and respond to: birds overhead, animals on the ground, other eagles, one another. It’s a wonderful look at the ways in which instinct and imprinting unlock an important behavior and all the learning that goes with

What are feathers? What is molt?

April 16, 2024 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 North 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

Canada Geese: Precocial versus Altricial

April 14, 2024 RaptorResource

As watchers know, Canada geese are nesting in two abandoned bald eagle nests in Decorah, Iowa. N2B – currently a goose nest – is located about 700 feet east of N1, where geese started hatching yesterday. This blog discusses some of the differences between altricial eagles and precocial geese! Altricial eaglets rely on parental care until they fledge. But goslings are precocial: capable of moving around, self-feeding, and leaving the nest shortly after hatch. What does that mean? Read on

Second-Week Milestones: An Illustrated Book!

April 10, 2024 RaptorResource

(More than) an eaglet a day: an illustrated book of DN17 and DN18’s second week of life! Click through the photos to see and read about their milestones and behaviors. Thanks to our camera operators, our moderators, and STLbf on our forum for photos, information, and text! April 4, 2024: Grey thermal down tracts are peeking out between feathery white natal tufts, the eaglets are more alert and aware of their surroundings, and they have enough strength, balance, and coordination

April 8, 2024: What are we looking forward to this week? News and NestFlix from around our Nests!

April 8, 2024 RaptorResource

What a weekend! The second eaglet hatched at Trempealeau, a male eagle – Mr. T? – has finally started to help with brooding and stocking the pantree, and the tiny North nest bobbleheads were replaced by great growing eaglets in grey flannel pajamas. We’re looking forward to hatch at Xcel Energy’s Fort St. Vrain nest on or around April 10, hatch at the N1 goose nest next weekend, and the leap of faith a day or two later. It’s springtime

March 26, 2024: NestFlix, News, and Cute Overload from Decorah North and Decorah!

March 26, 2024 RaptorResource

Did the eaglets get enough to eat today? It’s an evergreen question, especially when you see the little bobbleheads shivering in the snow, tumbling over, and wrestling one another instead of eating. Fortunately, Mr. North and DNF are perched at the peak of provisioning! They fed the terrific two thirteen times today, with twelve feedings going to DNF and one going to Mr. North. Wrestlemania or not, the eaglets ate well, with eleven feedings for DN17 and eight for DN18.

April 18, 2023: What are we looking forward to this week?

April 19, 2023 RaptorResource

What are we looking forward to this week? We’re anticipating hatch in the goose nest with the leap of faith following about 24 to 48 hours afterwards! We’re guesstimating hatch to begin on April 22, but it could happen a little earlier or a little later than that. Decorah and Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain Eaglets In Decorah, DH2 will turn two weeks old on Friday! In its second week of life, our little eaglet will gain roughly two pounds,