Busy eagles building their nest: Decorah

[Donna]

Fields and Forests: Decorah eagle cam no-go

http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/fields-and-forests-decorah-eagle-cam-no-go/article_424c1464-77f2-11e2-a52e-001a4bcf887a.html

Bob Anderson, executive director of the Raptor Resource Project, made the call Friday morning that “we will not have a Decorah eagle cam this year.�

He said the pair of eagles had been bouncing back and forth between the old nest, where they fledged three eaglets in 2012, and a new auxiliary nest a few hundred feet away.   

[Dumpsterkitty]

Fields and Forests: Decorah eagle cam no-go

http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/fields-and-forests-decorah-eagle-cam-no-go/article_424c1464-77f2-11e2-a52e-001a4bcf887a.html

Bob Anderson, executive director of the Raptor Resource Project, made the call Friday morning that “we will not have a Decorah eagle cam this year.�

He said the pair of eagles had been bouncing back and forth between the old nest, where they fledged three eaglets in 2012, and a new auxiliary nest a few hundred feet away.   

At least they're nesting even if we can't see it...

[Donna]

‎~ February 21, 2013, Decorah Eagle's Update ~

We are very confident that Mom Decorah laid her first egg on the night of February 19th. Mom has been observed in an incubation position on the new nest since early yesterday morning, and the "Decorah Shimmy" has also been observed from the ground. Dad has remained perched close by on an alternate branch, but did make a brief appearance on the "Y" branch this morning. We will not be able to determine when, or how many other eggs Mom Decorah will lay, but all signs have indicated that the incubation process has begun for the Decorah Eagle parents. When we have any additional news or photos we will post them for you.

This image was taken by Jim (thanks Jim!), and was from the morning of the 20th (yesterday).

[Donna]

http://youtu.be/_-1jrdggzfc 3rd eaglet hatching in 2011

And this is how it's done!   

[MAK]

 

[Donna]

She’s back: Decorah eagle home again summer with polar bears

http://thegazette.com/2013/10/17/shes-back-decorah-eagle-home-again-after-summer-with-polar-bears/   

[Kris G.]

Sad news today:

7-8-14 ~ We are Heartbroken to Announce the Electrocution of our Male Juvenile Decorah Eaglet (EWOT / believed to be D18)
Bob Anderson has released this statement:
"This morning the one young 2014 male eagle was seen soaring high over the bluff near Decorah compost site. We were all impressed by his flying skill. We believe that the young eagle was on his way back to the compost site when he attempted to land on the power pole about 1/2 mile from the compost site. This was a high transmission power pole and the eaglet suffered burns on its wing (wrist) and singed feathers on his feet. The electricity either entered through its feet and out the wing or vice versa, and his wing was nearly severed.We are all very saddened as his flying prowess led us to believe that we would have a long lived male eagle to compliment the data from our famous D1".

You may recall the Decorah eagles D12 and D14 were both electrocuted in 2012, and while many of the power poles around the nest and hatchery were retrofitted, not all poles in Decorah were, and this pole was quite a distance from the nest tree.

Fly free, D18.   

[MAK]

 

[Annette]

 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Poor wee thing! They face so many hazards, thanks to "us".

[Donna]

I was heartbroken when I read that on fb. All 3 had a rough start with gnats Bob said. One had to be rescued 3 times. Just a bad year for Decorah. 

[Kris G.]

I was heartbroken when I read that on fb. All 3 had a rough start with gnats Bob said. One had to be rescued 3 times. Just a bad year for Decorah. 

June 22nd, they rescued one that was in a stream with a broken wing. It has had surgery and is recuperating at SOAR.

[Donna]

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/57746729/highlight/594763

GHO's try to take the nest! Check it out!!

Sunday Night Owl Visit and Response

We've had a lot of people ask how Mom and Dad would respond to great horned owls in their nest. On Sunday night, we found out when an owl visited the nest and an unknown P chased them off around 12:07AM CT. Thanks to baziunc for the heads up and highlight!

The highlight begins with two owls pair-calling. According to Karla Bloem from the International Owl Center, the onscreen owl is a male and the off-screen owl is a female. At 28 seconds, the owl jumps to the crib rails and we hear eagle vocals shortly afterwards. At 41 seconds, an angry eagle flies in and chases the owl off. Very shortly afterwards, an owl (the original owl? Its mate?) strikes the eagle, knocking it off the nest.
ome context. The owl flew into the nest about 14 minutes before the eagle did, although eagle vocalizations began about one minute after the owl landed. We hear an eagle, another owl, and a crow or two during the 14 minutes the owl explores the nest, although true pair calling doesn't begin until 8 and-a-half minutes into the owl's visit. The moon had waned to just a sliver and the night was cloudy, making things very dark. This might account for the delay between the initial vocals and the nest defense, although pair-calling might also have played a part. Whatever the reason for the delay, the eagle displayed an incredible amount of tenacity and skill when it flew into the nest under pitch-black conditions.

So how do eagles and great horned owls compare size-wize? While great horned owls have special night-time adaptations that help them see under very low-light conditions, bald eagles are considerably larger.

GHO
Average wing-span: 48 inches
Average weight: 3.7 pounds

Bald Eagle
Average wing-span: 83 inches.
Average weight: 10 pounds

It looks like the owls aren't going to take over N2. It remains to be seen whether the owls nest in the neighborhood, which they seem determined to do. We may try leaving the camera on N1 for an evening to see whether we see or hear them there.

[nwfloridafalconfan]

Persistent owl is back Friday night...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGnFgekEEv0&feature=youtu.be

[Kris G.]

Battle for nest continues!

http://iowapublicradio.org/post/decorah-eagles-battling-keep-their-home