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Tag Archives: FAQ

Your Questions, Answered: DH1 and DH2

April 11, 2023 RaptorResource

Followers had a lot of questions about eaglet DH1 and DH2. Why did DH1 die? Are HD and HM first-time parents? What did the eagles do with DH1? Here’s what we know. Why did DH1 die? DH1 hatched at 4:10 AM on April 5th and died some time between about 7 PM and 12:20 AM. The day was cold and rainy, the eagles tucked a large dead trout into the egg cup, and DH1 was not fed in its first

Peek inside a bald eagle egg: 24 days!

March 24, 2023 RaptorResource

There are two eagle eggs in Decorah trout hatchery nest N1. DH1 is about 27 days old and DH2 is about 25 days old. What do they look like? Let’s take a peek! What do embyronic eagles look they look like as they develop and grow inside their eggs? Dr. Peter Sharpe from the Institute for Wildlife Studies developed a table of bald eagle embryonic development based on work done by Hamburger and Hamilton (1951). While this animation uses a chicken

Egg Colors and Shapes

March 20, 2023 RaptorResource

The Chicago Peregrine Program inspired me to write a quick blog on the colors and shapes of eggs. Bald eagles have white eggs, peregrine falcons have eggs that range from light cream through brick red, and red-tailed hawks have pale eggs that are lightly splotched with brown. How and why do the birds we watch lay differently-colored and shaped eggs? Egg Colors Where do egg colors come from? Once a bird’s egg enters its shell gland or uterus, it is

Peek inside a bald eagle egg: 11 days!

March 6, 2023 RaptorResource

What do embryonic eagles look they look like as they develop and grow inside their eggs? Dr. Peter Sharpe from the Institute for Wildlife Studies developed a table of bald eagle embryonic development based on work done by Hamburger and Hamilton (1951). While not all bald eagle eggs hatch in 35 days, the stages of development look something like this… What happens between the third and the 11th day? When we last touched on the topic, our embryonic eagle had

What Makes Bald Eagles Incubate?

March 2, 2023 RaptorResource

We wrote this blog a year ago. I wanted to revisit it given the events at the North nest this year. Mr. North and DNF have been dealing with intruders for a couple of weeks. Instead of perching near the nest, packing in food, and developing the reserves she needs to lay eggs, DNF is guarding her nest, egg, and mate from potential rivals. After egg number one, her testosterone and progesterone should rapidly decrease, while prolactin, a hormone that

Peek inside a bald eagle egg: 4 days!

February 27, 2023 RaptorResource

As of this writing, we’re still waiting for eggs at Fort St. Vrain. The first Decorah North egg is seven days old and the second is four days old. What do embryonic eagles look like as they grow and develop inside their eggs? Dr. Peter Sharpe from the Institute for Wildlife Studies developed a table of bald eagle embryonic development based on work done by Hamburger and Hamilton (1951). While not all bald eagle eggs hatch in 35 days, the

Announcing: Egg Watch at Decorah North!

February 15, 2023 RaptorResource

Egg watch is on at Decorah North after DNF had us pacing the delivery room floor for over three hours last night! We’ve discussed her most likely first egg date, so let’s take a look at her most likely time. Her schedule looks like this: 2022: DNF laid her first egg at 3:17 PM 2021: DNF laid her first egg at 1:44 PM 2020: DNF laid her first egg at 3:36 PM 2019: DNF laid her first egg at 3:23

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg?

February 14, 2023 RaptorResource

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg? We think that female bald eagles begin laying eggs five to ten days after productive mating begins. In 2018 and 2019, Mom laid her first egg about eleven days after copulation went from casual to frequent…and very determined on Mom’s part. We’ve often seen female eagles take the lead – beak-biting and footing their mates, loudly vocalizing their intentions, and mounting them! You don’t need to be a

Bald eagle mating: Courtship, bonding, copulation, and other things romantic!

February 8, 2023 RaptorResource

Love is in the nest! This is a traditional Valentines Day post for us, but after HD and HM copulated this morning, we thought we would post it in celebration. Bald eagle courtship Bald eagles are famous for their whirling nuptial flight, but eagle courtship includes any activities that establish a new pair bond or renew an existing one. At our Decorah, Decorah North, and Fort St. Vrain nests, courtship usually begins in early October. Bonded pairs start working on

How do eagles stay warm in cold weather?

January 27, 2023 RaptorResource

Each species experiences the world differently and eagles have capacities that are far different from ours. How do Bald Eagles survive an Iowa winter without adaptive clothing and central heat? A cold January morning coated our eagles in frost and left watchers wondering how Bald Eagles survive an Iowa winter. In general, wintering animals – including humans – need to retain body heat, stay dry, and take in enough calories to support winter’s increased energy demands. We humans put on

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