Decorah North Eagles and Blogs

How do we build a starter nest?

Kike builds the framework for DNN's replacement in 2018.

Followers are wondering about a starter nest at Decorah North. We’ll be surveying the area post After The Fledge to identify potential trees. Bald eagles seem to prefer trees with a relatively open or small canopy, good sightlines, and clear flightlines. Limbs need to hold sticks and nests must be relatively easy to fly into and away from, especially since parents will be carrying food to hungry eaglets! If the tree isn’t on the edge of the pasture, it will

June 18, 2024: NestFlix and News from Decorah North and the Wisconsin Kestrels!

June 17, 2024: It isn't easy to hold, filet, and eat a fish on a limb. The professors at Eagle Outdoor School can be pretty tough!

We’re getting a lot of questions about fledglings DN17 and DN18. While the North nest’s fall was pretty dramatic, it’s not that uncommon for nests to fall. I can think of two others this spring off the top of my head: the Denton Homes nest in Des Moines, Iowa, and an offline nest in Brownsville, MN. In the first case, the eaglets were taken from the area for an assessment by Iowa Bird Rehabilitation before being returned to the area

June 16, 2024: The North Nest Falls

June 16, 2024: The North Nest has fallen.

We are sad to report that the Decorah North nest came down this morning after heavy rain added weight to the nest tree branches. The nest tree support branches had been deteriorating and it was just a matter of time before something happened. We are thankful that DN17 and DN18 both survived and, although it looked like DN18 (perched to the right), could have been in the mix of branches coming down, DN18 is looking good, navigating through the wet

June 12, 2024: DN17 has fledged!

June 12, 2024: DN17 fledged!

DN17 fludged (our word for an unintentional fledge) when the branch she was perched on broke at 7:28 AM this morning. DN17’s first flight was unintentional and surprised – more ‘oh no – wings!’ than ‘yay flight!’ – but the eaglet quickly and instinctively gained its wings for a strong first flight and the siblings are beginning to explore the great wide world together! Come watch with us for the next part of their grand adventure. Home is where the

June 11, 2024: DN18 Fledges!

June 11, 2024: DN18 gets ready to fly!

DN18 fledged today at 11:50AM. The eaglet appeared strong and confident as it looked all around, gathered its strength, spread its wings, and winged its way into the great wide world! Watch the video at about 50 seconds and you’ll see DN18 fly off across the pasture, where it was joined by Mr. North on T4. Will DN17 fledge tomorrow? Stay tuned! Mr. North with DN18 on T4: https://youtu.be/lXOQ8ryk-pA?si=rAdIdQ9zU-6DC72S

Branching at Decorah North!

June 6, 2024: Branching at Decorah North!

DN17 branched at 8:33 am CT yesterday and has been busy practicing its flight skills: https://youtu.be/FthKvsM92Ig?si=5e6clv4E9PVT6-ml! DN17 and DN18 turned 74 and 73 days old this morning. Will fledge – their next big adventure – happen tomorrow? We almost had a fludge this morning! https://youtu.be/7Q1cE4bdm_g?si=0Ds4B897t90l_QIU.

May 28, 2024: NestFlix and News!

May 27, 2024: Kids being kids! DN17 top, DN18 bottom

We have your NestFlix and news! The dynamic North nest duo turned 65 and 64 days old today. As we mentioned in an earlier post, fledge could happen in as little as five days, but is most likely to happen until ten or fifteen days from now. A few people brought up blackflies. Female blackflies, like female mosquitos, take a blood meal to obtain the protein they need to lay eggs. They are a normal part of nest life and

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

April 30, 2024: How do I eat this thing? DN17 nibble at a bone as they swap it back and forth.

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

DN18 Update

April 27, 2024: DN18 and DN17

DN18 update! The eaglet cleared the line some time last night and it is no longer hanging from his or her mouth. The North nest is not easy to get into and entering it while the eaglets are in it puts them at risk. We have canceled our plans to get DN18 from the nest, but are still watching closely. Our camera operators report that the little eaglet has been busy today playing with sticks, cuddle puddling, warbling, eating, and

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