It was a busy day for eagles – and other birds! – today. At Trempealeau, Mr. and Mrs. T attended to some sticky business as they figured out furniture placement, tangoed, and made early home improvements. We believe that it’s Mr. T’s second year as a mate and father, so we’re very curious to see how he’ll do with food gifts to Mrs. T, brooding, and feeding his young.
Mrs. T oversees stick placement in Trempealeau. This nest is directly over a yard and falling sticks – and prey remains! – are a real hazard!
Trempealeau Eagles
At Decorah North, Mr. North and DNF are continuing their early morning visits to their new home. I guess the early bird catches the worm – I mean stick! They aren’t yet as engaged with nestorations as the Trempealeau Eagles, but the eagles we watch have generally been on their own schedule. Mr. North and DNF are a well-established couple who begin nest work in mid-October; Mrs. T – who is not, as far as we know, new – has tended to get serious about nestorations in late September; and HD and HM worked on their nest all summer long in 2022, although that might have been part of their very extended courtship. Look for a lot more sticky business in the weeks to come!
DNF inspects our work. So far, so good!
Decorah North
Speaking of Bald Eagles, Ma and Pa Jr. have been busy with stick work at Fort St. Vrain, although a juvenile has been interrupting them with food demands and food stealing attempts. Could this be FSV49 or 50? It’s hard to say. The Decorah Eagles we followed usually dispersed in early September and Fort St. Vrain Eagle FSV44, who was fitted with a transmitter by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, dispersed in late August. But other nests have recorded young staying later into the year. Either way, kleptoparasitism is common among bald eagles and can provide a valuable source of protein and calories for juveniles still learning to hunt and fish. In early October, any adult eagle probably looks like a potential meal provider to a hungry juvenile and adults are generally tolerant of young intruders.
Ma FSV gets photobombed by a pesky magpie. I love the wildlife we see in and around this nest!
Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain Eagles
The Flyway has also been busy. Huge flocks of waterfowl are passing through and eagles are beginning to gather, although we probably won’t see them in great numbers until October. But our eagle-eyed camera operators found an especially beautiful eagle perched on a snag this morning. Good luck on migration and we hope to see you next year, birds! We’ll share a blog about migration later this week, but be sure to drop by our website for our regularly scheduled Flyway chat if you’d like to learn more from our expert moderators and chatters: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/flyway-cam/! Birdcast is another great resource for migration watchers: https://birdcast.info/.
This is my happy face! A beautiful eagle on the Flyway this morning.
Mississippi River Flyway
Thanks so much for watching, sharing, learning, and especially for caring…for all you do on behalf of the birds!
The Raptor Resource Project