Decorah, Iowa, Bald Eagle Cam

[pianowolfi]

I always wonder if they don't mind the busy traffic around there. But of course they choose to build their nest there, right?
They're so beautiful!

[Bob]

It's been three days.  Last year's eggs were three or four days apartment.  All laid in the evening.

So the next egg could be laid anytime now or maybe tomorrow evening.

The female's on the nest now.

Still just one egg.  She just stood up.

[Bob]

Yep.  Second egg.  9:06pm central/Iowa time.

Oops.  I was off.  The first egg should hatch around March 23rd.

This second around March 26th.

[j_menz]

Yep.  Second egg.[

Is it wrong that this made me think "Good, there's enough for a proper omelette"? 

[Bob]

Poor thing.

[littletune]

That looked kinda scary at first! She was completely covered with snow!!  They have so much snow there! We don't have any snow here anymore 

[Bob]

I found this.

https://raptorresource.blogspot.com/


They say the snow can help insulate them.  If she was losing heat the snow would have melted.

Last year they had more snow but I didn't see them get covered like that.  The camera iced over a couple times.  The really bad weather way probably icey drizzle.  They got wet from that.  I thought the eggs or chicks would freeze for sure when that happened.

The blog says the adults can generate 101 degree temps though. 

[pianowolfi]

Will there be a third egg?

[Bob]

I saw in that blog that this pair lays three eggs.  Most don't.  They did last year.

She seems to lay every 3-4 days.  And in the evening.  So one could appear tonight or tomorrow night.  Or maybe not at all, but that would be different for this pair.

I heard something today.  When the third egg arrives I bet it will be fertile.  I bet all three eggs will be fertile.

[Bob]

Still two.  She's turning them right now.

[Bob]

I bet they'll be a third egg pretty soon.  I haven't seen them nest with their wings out like that.  Her breathing should change before she lays the egg. The Monday youtube video showed her chirping before the egg came out.

[Bob]

Aw, they're getting snowed on again.

[Bob]

Only two eggs still.  If there is a third I think it would be laid sooner today, although she seems to lay them in the evening.

The male is on the nest now.

[Bob]

Yep, third egg.  

8:05pm Iowa time.

Could hatch around March 30th.


So they were laid...
Feb 17
Feb 20
Feb 24

And they should hatch about
March 23
March 26
March 30

Last year they were around that time.  I think one was earlier.  One was later.

Now we just wait a month for them to hatch, assuming they're fertile.

[littletune]

You really know everything about these eagles Bob!! How many baby birds were there last year? 3?

[Bob]

Three, yes.  All three survived and eventually flew away.  They tagged one with a radio transmitter and are still following it.

Cheap entertainment.  I watched them last year. 

[Bob]

Wow.  Someone's bothering the male now.  He just flapped his wings a bit. 

They're either a little more defensive or things are bothering them more this year.  Or I'm watching them more.

[Bob]

Hot eagles today.

Another week and the first egg might hatch.

[Bob]

It's been 35 days.  The first chick could hatch anytime now, assuming the egg is fertile but I bet it is.

Hotter weather and rain now.  Poor things.

We might be able to see a pip, a hole in the egg where the chick is pecking/scratching its way out.  And we might even be able to hear it chirping.  Last year you could hear the chick still in the egg chirping once in a while.

[Bob]

Anytime now...

And the second could hatch too pretty soon.


"And they should hatch about
March 23
March 26
March 30"

[Bob]

Still no chicks or pips.

That's probably a good thing.  If the first one hatches late and the the third one hatches early, then the chicks will be similar in size and the first one won't dominate the others for food.

[Bob]

Possible pip.

I think that's just shtuff on the eggshell though.

[Bob]

I hear something.  It could be a chick in the egg chirping.

It could be a rusty sign blowing the wind.

Or two chicks chirping.  The second egg could hatch tomorrow.  The chirping sound comes and goes.  It sounded pretty active for chicks in the eggs.

Or it's crickets.

[Bob]

I bet those are chirping chicks.  You can hear the mother eagle panting.  And you can hear the water in the creek below.

That would explain why the mother is wide awake now.  She was asleep a little bit ago.

I still hear them. 

[Bob]

Still no babies.

[Bob]

First pip!  One of them is working its way out, probably the first.

The second one could come out anytime now too.  It's 35 days for that one.  35-37 days is now through Wed.  I bet it will hatch sooner if it was making noise last night.  If those were the chicks I heard.


The father just moved around.  The chick is still in the shell.

[Bob]

I bet the chick will come out today.

[Bob]

Still eggs.  The mother just flew off.  You can hear the egg(s) chirping.

[Bob]

A chick hatched!  

I don't know if it's the first or second egg.  If another hatches very soon, then this is the first
chick from the first egg.  

It almost looks there's a hole in the middle egg around 20 seconds in....

They already brought a fish up for it.


Those squirrels and little birds aren't going to be making extra noise for much longer....

[Bob]

Live view now.  Of course they'll be plenty to see of them later too.


Nothing says, "I love you," like a dead fish.  

The female's trying to feed the baby already.

Oo... Live view again.  Of the chick.

[Bob]

Second pip.

2:40 in. 

Which means the first chick hatched today and the second should hatch soon.  Maybe there will be three again.

[Bob]

Second egg is hatching right now.  I don't see a third egg though.  But the second egg has something poking through it.


So the second will probably hatch today.  The pushing on the second egg shell looked pretty strong.  The third could hatch around Fri-Sun.

[Bob]

The second chick hatched out today.

The Raptor Resource people are calling them D12 and D13.  D14 would be on the way.

[Bob]

Live view now.  They're getting fed again.

[Bob]

I haven't seen it, but there's supposed to be a pip in the third egg.  It will probably hatch tomorrow.

[Bob]

[m1469]

Super cute!  Yesterday I saw a bald eagle and a big raven sitting right next to each other on the top of a telephone pole ... they seemed like they must have been friends and it was funny.

[Bob]

Time for some more delicious squirrel.

Third egg is still intact.

[Bob]

Almost out.  It's right on time.  Today through Sunday. 

I've never seen one still in the egg like this.  You can see its beak and little beak horn.

[Bob]

I think the third guy's out.  

They're getting fed again now.


Yep...

[littletune]

They're really cute!  How long do they stay in the nest?

[Bob]

They'll starting flying in June or July.  Stick around the nest for awhile and then eventually leave.  They tagged one last July with a radio transmitter so they could see where it went.  It went to Minnesota just to the north and then actually came back to that area in January.  The parents would probably attack them though if they came near the nest now.

[Bob]

Mother asleep with chick squirming around in front going on right now.  Haha.

[Bob]

I thought more people would be interested in these guys.  The nest seems quieter than last year though.


The squirrels and small birds in that area have been silenced a bit...

And if you're wondering why there isn't a lot of baby bird poop in the nest...  Last year they hit the webcam so in the fall when they replace the webcams they move them up higher.  This year the father bird has sat on the camera a few times.

These guys seems bitier than last year's batch.  I did see the ones from last year bite the mouth feathers during feeding but I haven't seem them peck at their parents like this.

The babies are starting to get too big for the parents to sit on them all at once.

[Bob]

They're getting big.  Their puffy feathers are going to turn dark grey soon.

[Bob]

The babies are changing again.  They were light grey, then dark grey.  Now they're getting their regular feathers.  They're going to turn dark brown now.  They stay brown for about 4-5 years and then get their white head.

[Bob]

They've grown up.  They're flying around a bit now, leaving the nest.

I read the eagle people are going to tag one of them again this year.

[Bob]

Aw...    One them from this year died.

https://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/34069/young+bald+eagle+from+famous+iowa+nest+is+found+electrocuted/

https://www.kwwl.com/story/18947503/volunteers-react-to-decorah-eagle-d12s-death

They've got a note here too.
https://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Camera is offline for awhile now.



They tagged one of the other ones a week or so ago.

Carmina Burana?

[littletune]

Oh that's so sad!!  and horrible! poor little eagle!! Why didn't people think of what could happen before? didn't they know the power poles could be dangerous? weren't they dangerous before? 

[Bob]

There was some kind of protection on them or some of them I read.

And I read someone saw it happen.  There's a law that bald eagles have to go to the government or something like that since it's a national bird.  So it has to be shipped off somewhere.

And the power company there is making sure all the other poles are safe now.  A little late.  I read on their forum site that people are starting to mess with the fish around there, trying to feed the birds to get pictures.  And this pair of eagles has had a 100% success rate producing chicks which is rare. 

That's the way it goes.  That bird was about 3-4 months old, just becoming an adult. 


The first one they tagged from last year is up in Canada around Hudson Bay.