Raptor Resource Project Forum
RRP's Birds: Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels, Ospreys, Turkey Vultures, and More! => Bald Eagles 2025 => Topic started by: mrsfalcon on January 13, 2025, 02:05:30 PM
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Welcome to the 2025 Trempealeau Eagles thread! Post observations, pictures, and anything else about the Trempealeau Eagles here!
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AMY Something going wrong? Don't know what to try next on my end. Only able to get 2 or 3 links. Nothing posted after 1/13. And 3 nest Cams: Decorah Eagles, NN, and Trem.
Can you send out some new direction clues/links to our email addresses to get back in and up to date?
I did try those "new" ones from you and those hints from Old Guy. Is there a new plan of action or set of directions?
P
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Testing to see if I get it how to post posts :).
Our lovely Mrs T:
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Testing to see if I get it how to post posts :).
Our lovely Mrs T:
Hi, Rosieann! Great pic of Mrs. T :)
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Hi, Lisa!
Isn't she a beauty. And the Mr is a cute one :)
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Hi, Lisa!
Isn't she a beauty. And the Mr is a cute one :)
Yes!
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Discussions on the nest this morning. Mrs had a stubborn stick and the cute Mr wanted to help with it. He dragged the stick over Mrs and she was sorta tangled in the stick. She was not happy with the help. Mr worked other sticks on the rail and Mrs continued on the stubborn one.
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Some screenshots that I took a short while ago of Mr and Mrs T
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A Sunday morning visit, Mrs T tries the bole and Mr T is just a cutie on that mini branch.
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Very nice early morning pic!
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We have opened up a Flash Chat with Mr and Mrs T in view. Please come join us if you can: https://www.raptorresource.org/trempealeau-eagles/
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Mrs & Mr were busy this morning and I have a thing for eagle feet ;D even blurry ones
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We're opening up an impromptu Chat at Trempealeau from 1-3 CT today. We're having our 1st egg fundraiser too, celebrating DNN's 2 eggs, but hope that Mrs T "might" still lay an egg today. Hope to see you there. https://www.raptorresource.org/trempealeau-eagles/
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With Mrs T on the nest at Trempealeau, we're opening up a Flash Chat. Come join us if you can.
https://www.raptorresource.org/trempealeau-eagles/
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While we wait for eggs, Mrs T is in her backyard gathering fluff.
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Sunday morning mating. Maybe eggs soon🤞
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Egg #1 approx 1.42 pm!!
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Awesome getting our first egg here. Can’t wait to watch these parents.
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Thanks for the good news! :D
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Mrs T laid the second egg approx 12.42pm.
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Egg number 2. Looking forward to watching this nest.
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Mrs T laid egg #3 approx 4.15 pm 03-10-2025.
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Three eggs - exciting! Hoping for the best for this eagle family!
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I followed this nest last season and I really believe that it the same Mr & Mrs this season. How they look, how they sound and how they behave is what tells me it is the same old eagles as last season.
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I’m sure it’s the same parents Rosieann. So excited to see we have three eggs this year. They will need to be busy to support three hatchlings. Can’t wait to see what happens.
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On the T's and while we wait for hatch...
In general, eagles start laying later with a new mate and drift earlier. We saw this:
- With Mom and Dad (she was new)
- With Mr. and Mrs. North (he was new)
- With Mr. North and DNF (she was new)
- With Pa (OP) and Ma (she was new)
- With Ma and Pa (NP) (he was new)
There are exceptions to the first year-rule in my records. Mom moved four days later in her second year with DM2. Harsh weather (unusually cold, dry weather coupled with deep snow) can also push eggs later, and intruders can disrupt hormonal cycles as we saw with DNF in 2023. But cold, dry weather did not apply prior to egg laying this year: our other two bald eagle nests moved significantly earlier, as did several of our peregrine nests. We don't know if intruders drove things later, but I would have expected the Ts to float earlier or stay about the same in accordance with what we usually see, and what every other nest was doing. Instead, she laid eight days later this year.
Eagles usually lay the same number of eggs every year after the first year. We saw this:
- With DNF, who laid two eggs every year beginning in 2019, with the exception of 2023 (1)
- With Ma FSV, who laid three eggs every year beginning in 2008, with the exception of 2007 (2, first year nesting), 2010 (2), and 2025 (4)
- With Mom Decorah. However, she did lay two eggs in her first year of nesting (2008)
There are exceptions to number of eggs, and first-year nesting is one of them. However, we see an equally strong correlation between young/new adults and changes in the number of eggs. Mom and Ma FSV were both young/new adults when they started laying. Based on plumage, DNF and Mrs. T were not, and DNF did not change to laying three eggs in subsequent years. Quick note and yes, it still gets argued about: not all birds begin breeding as soon as they reach sexual maturity. We have years of data on it.
So:
- One or both of the two could be new, which would explain why they drifted eight days later and why she laid three eggs.
- Mr and Mrs. T could both be the same eagles as last year. If this is the case, I'm perplexed by how much later they moved, but the switch from two to three eggs wouldn't be that uncommon.
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She did a quick egg roll early this morning just after the camera changed over to daylight viewing. I believe we have a pip. Waiting for RRP to make official announcement.
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I’ve tried to rewind and pause at the exact second it looks like a pip. I still can’t tell if I’m seeing a pip or a dark piece of grass in front of the egg. The questionable moment is right at the last second before she settles back down.
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I think the first chick is out of the egg just now!
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Sure enough. Let the fun begin.
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Thanks for the heads up. I see a half eggshell now. Hoping for a good season for this beautiful pair!
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Sweet lil bobblehead!
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Feeding attempt!
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Feeding time for TE3
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54445571949_526bd184ec_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54445571944_ca9b106998_b.jpg)
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That feeding looked successful. So sweet!
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TE3 did the cutest little PS, not sure if it was the ever first
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I really appreciate the camera work. That was a nice zoom on the egg that is currently pipping, about half an hour ago. That little beak is hard at work!
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TE4 is in our world! We're opening up a Flash Chat at Trempealeau. Please come join us in the celebration! https://www.raptorresource.org/trempealeau-eagles/
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I always have a hard time watching the feedings when there is more than one eaglet. I want to reach into the scene most of the time and move the one getting all the food out of the way. The one not getting fed always seems to be looking off in the wrong direction. They always seem to work it out, but it’s an anxious feeling to watch. 😀
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Agreed!
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Now that the third eaglet has arrived, it’s even harder watching the feedings. Poor little one is getting bonked every time he lifts his head. Just hope he gets something in that craw when I’m not watching. I only remember one nest successfully fledgling three, and that was with super mom in Decorah. Still remember her flying into that nest with two fish in her talons.😀
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It seems there is only one eaglet left. Rain started yesterday afternoon and continued most of the night, with cold temps and gusty winds.
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From RRP's Facebook page....
Raptor Resource Project
It was a rough weekend and start to this week for the Trempealeau eaglets. Yesterday, our camera operators documented Mr. T bringing fish to another nest. This morning, TE4 and TE5 died after Mrs. T left her nest to hunt in a cold, slashing rain. Bald Eagles usually take excellent care of their young and Mrs. T certainly did her best. What happened?
2024: First-Time Father?
We’ve had a lot of questions about Mr. T’s behavior. In 2024, he gave all the indicators of being a new eagle father: he seemed reluctant to feed his offspring and was less present for brooding, especially early in nest life. We were surprised and concerned when he disappeared on March 28, and relieved when he finally reappeared and began participating in nest life on April 6. In our April 8 NestFlix, we noted that: “A male eagle has returned to the Trempealeau nest. He’s (kind of) delivering food and taking a very occasional turn on the nest, although he hasn’t fed the eaglets as of this posting. Could he be a first-time father?”
We went on to talk about other nests with first-time fathers, including the 2024 Hanover nest, the 2021 Fort St. Vrain nest, the 2019 Decorah nest, the 2016 Decorah North nest, and the 2012 Fulton nest. The Hanover and Fulton nests failed when neither male helped care for eggs and young. First-time fathers Pa, Mr. North, and DM2 all brought in food and brooded, but it took a while for them to begin feeding and Pa regularly fed himself instead of his eaglets or Ma. So, case closed: Mr. T, a first-time father, would improve his parenting and relationship skills in 2025. Or so we thought.
2025: Two Nests?
At first, 2025 looked promising. Mr. T was attentive, Mrs. T laid three eggs, and both eagles took turns caring for their eggs and replenishing nest materials. But on March 19, Mr. T began spending noticeably less time on the nest. While it’s normal for female eagles to take on more incubation duties, the drop in his participation was significant enough that we took note. And on March 27, he stopped participating in nest life altogether, although our camera operators continued to see and hear him in the vicinity of the nest. He didn’t come back until April 5, when he flew in and began incubating the eggs: https://youtu.be/hYILGV8Hh-o?si=6XXpamCZSaAlAQOu
What happened? At first, we speculated that nearby construction might have spooked him. But we also couldn’t help wondering if he was involved with another nest, specifically one located on an island roughly 1700 feet west of the Trempealeau site. His nesting timeline and behavior only deepened the mystery, suggesting the possibility of yet another new male for the second year in a row. New male or another nest? We discussed our thoughts in a play-by-play with explore.org: https://www.youtube.com/live/Uv091DbCZcE?si=9fSTSzQa1HkbpaEZ and blogged on the possibility of yet another new male here: https://www.raptorresource.org/.../does-mrs-t-have-a-new.../
Meanwhile, Mr. T showed up sporadically, vacillated between bringing food to and stealing food from the Trempealeau nest, and brooded TE3, TE4, and TE5 only occasionally. Camera operators in particular began speculating about another nest because, as one noted, 'he sure is an odd eagle'.
In the spring of 2024, we were restricted to one lower resolution camera, which made it hard to gather biometric data or follow the eagles when they left the nest. But we added a much better camera last fall. On Sunday morning, one of our camera operators captured Mr. T taking fish from the Trempealeau nest and flying over to what we’re calling the MN Island nest to join a female there. I was shocked, especially since the eagle thruples I’m familiar with involved multiple eagles in the same nest, not one male eagle provisioning two families.
In short, Mr. T had two nests and two eagle ‘wives’, or at least two female eagles he was interested in: https://youtu.be/8bp-_oilfqc?si=82m8rMKzDuJS-lCd
Here’s what we know
- There is a second female bald eagle on a nest located roughly 1700 feet west of the Trempealeau nest. Mr. T is visiting her with food gifts taken from the Trempealeau nest.
- The adult female eagle’s behavior suggests brooding. But distance and wind make it very hard to tell. We hope to get down there before the trees leaf out and make remote viewing impossible.
- Mrs. T nested here in 2024 and 2025.
- Mr. T helped Mrs. T respond to a threat after dark on April 19 and brought in nesting material and fish on April 18. But he took more fish than he brought in and didn’t share brooding duties. Mrs. T was left to handle the storm by herself. She did an excellent job, but it just wasn’t enough.
- Eaglets TE4 and TE5 died on the morning of April 21 following a day of soaking rain and cold wind. As of this blog, larger, older TE3 is still alive. The deaths happened very quickly: all three eaglets were alive and squirming at 5:25 AM and TE5 was dead by 8:00 AM.
Here’s what we don’t know
- Did Mr. T have another nest last year? We don’t have the detailed notes we took this year and were not able to see into the MN Island nest with the camera we had. However, the behavior recorded in our forum, blogs, and by video makers seems quite similar. We didn’t get a soaking multi-day rainstorm last year, which might be why both eaglets survived 2024 with very little help from Mr. T, other nest or no.
- Was Mr. T new last year? Is Mr. T new this year? I believed he was new last year and could have been replaced again this year. But the magic eight-ball has gotten very murky: his behavior was very similar both years and could be explained by a second nest, the nest chronology still points towards a new mate, and what biometrics we have are unhelpful. We don’t know whether or not he was new either year. We've included some captures for comparison. Feel welcome to give us your opinion.
We are not taking TE3 from the Trempealeau nest. Mrs. T is doing an excellent job caring for it, the eaglet turned ten days old today, and its thermal down is starting to grow in. It will have no competition for food and the area is rich in natural resources, including plenty of fish. The eaglet has a good chance and we don’t want to take that away from it, Mrs. T, or even Mr. T, should he return. We’ll cross our talons and add more to what we know about eagles as we watch.
Thank you so much for watching, sharing, learning, and especially for caring. Eagle life isn’t always easy, but we love them.
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Thanks LISA for bringing the RRP report here. These eagles sure keep us wondering...
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Thanks LISA for bringing the RRP report here. These eagles sure keep us wondering...
You're welcome, and YES they do! :D
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The nest sure is rocking tonight! I imagine, and hope Mrs. T stays hunkered down with little T3!
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Poor Ms. T, feeding two nests. Eagle life is not for the faint of heart. I see little TE3 had to fend off a squirrel yesterday too. TE3 is a toughie, just like Mom.
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TE3 is 3 weeks old and looking really good, big feet and big wings.
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TE3 is 40 days old today and celebrating as a beautiful little eagle and eating fish.
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Thanks for the pics, Roseanne. What a cutie!
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Oops, correction - it's Rosieann. TE3 is being fed a fish right now!
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TE3 was 43 days old yesterday and went from nibbling on fish in the morning to self feeding fish in the evening. Our little sweetie is growing up 😊 Hi, nanimal 👋
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TE3 was 43 days old yesterday and went from nibbling on fish in the morning to self feeding fish in the evening. Our little sweetie is growing up 😊 Hi, nanimal 👋
Big milestone yesterday for TE3!
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Yay for TE3! :) Thanks Lisa and Rosieann, for the update. I missed the self-feeding but will be watching for it today.