Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Eagle Update

The camera has been turned on for a new season at the Decorah, Iowa eagles' nest at the Fish Hatchery. The adults have been spotted bringing in nesting materials and sprucing up the nest. It must have looked attractive to a couple of Great Horned Owls the other night - they were checking it out with eyes to the fine details. GHOs apparently often take over unused eagles' nests, but in this case, they will have to move on. It's interesting to observe the difference in size between Great Horned Owls and Bald Eagles. No contest.

This video is a compilation of footage from Oct. 16.



By the way, of the three eaglets from last season, only one has survived to live and fly in the wild. One  nest-mate was injured in an attack on the ground and is at a bird sanctuary and the third was unfortunately electrocuted, a common occurrence for fledglings. The remaining fledgling, which is fitted with a transmitter, is still in the Decorah area. Nicknamed "Four" it is frequently seen and photographed as it learns the ways of being an eagle.

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