Graham19811981
TK Veteran
Great stuff this mate really is👍
Decorah Eagle Nest Cam 2019
- Thread starter wheelo
- Start date
My whole family are loving The Baby eagles Thank you Wheelo for the pics and vids👍👍👍👍
woody6222
TK Veteran
Snow will keep the trout fresh a while longer👍
Graham19811981
TK Veteran
Hahahahaha don’t care one bit just want feeding
It's amazing the difference a day makes - they hatched about 36 hours apart, but the differences in size is huge.
The wind is out today big time, I'm nearly getting seasick watching the tree away to and fro, how must they feel
Very interesting watching the feeding - at the first sign of indifference, the parent covers them back up again. The "fighting" between the two chick is hilarious, they quite easily get toppled over.
The wind is out today big time, I'm nearly getting seasick watching the tree away to and fro, how must they feel
Very interesting watching the feeding - at the first sign of indifference, the parent covers them back up again. The "fighting" between the two chick is hilarious, they quite easily get toppled over.
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Love them All Wheelo Thank you
The baby eagles are getting very big love to see them develop so fast👍
Decorah Blog:-
D24 is 22 days old today, while D25 turns 21 days old. In the past week, the eaglets' footpads and talons have grown, their feet and legs have yellowed, and their talons have turned almost entirely black. Their mohawks have become more apparent as they shed their white natal down, which disappears from the head last. Almost every time I checked in, the eaglets were either eating or recovering from a meal. Their crops bulged so heavily at times that it was hard to believe they could sit up! They also had a fine buffet to chose from, including trout from the hatchery (look for finer scales and a front pointing mouth with thin lips), sucker (look for rougher scales and a bottom pointing mouth with fleshy lips), rabbit, muskrat, and even a mink.
Eaglets spend roughly 75-80 days in the nest, so we are a little under a third of the way to fledge. Most birds of prey seem to spend roughly the first half of nest life gaining weight and growing structural features like footpads, talons, toes, and beaks. While some structural growth may occur later on, the second half of nest life is dedicated to feathers and wings as feathers replace down and wings lengthen.
This week we were treated to a lot of eating and sleeping, but big changes are on the way! Pinfeathers started growing out late in week three and poop went from little slices to big spatters as the eaglets got better at sitting up, bending over, and shooting poop! What else can we look forward to in the coming week?
While we've been making guesses at gender, the weight of the two sexes begins to separate as females gain weight faster than males. Sex takes over from age as a size determinant around 50-60 days. But cameras can be tricky and clutches can have large males and small females or be all one sex, making ID impossible without measurements or a genetic test. We'll have a lot of fun seeing if size conforms to our observations based on what we have seen of beak size, commissure extension, and other traits, and I can hardly wait for food tearing and wingercizing!
The general stages of eagle development are:
Stage 1 - Structural growth. In their first thirty-five to forty days of life, eagles grow very rapidly, gaining weight and building bones, muscles, tissue, and features like tarsi, footpads, toes, and claws. This phase of development slows down about halfway through an eaglet's time in the nest, even though individual features might continue some level of growth.
Stage 2 - Feather and flight-related growth. Eagles grow four sets of feathers - natal down inside the egg, thermal down, juvenile feathers, and adult feathers. Thermal down starts growing at about ten days, juvenile deck feathers at about 20-23 days and juvenile flight feathers at about 27 days, but feather growth doesn't overtake structural growth until thirty-five to forty days after hatch. Flight muscles also begin growing as eaglets wingercize, flap, hover, and eventually branch and fledge.
Stage 3 - Neurological Coordination. Eagle watchers know how ungainly eaglets can seem! As they grow, they become more adept at controlling beaks, legs, wings, and feet. They learn to stand on their own feet, tear food, self-feed, and flap their wings, going from cute but clumsy clown clompers to graceful young eaglets poised at the edge of fledge.
I'm not sure how familiar many of you are with the cortical homunculus, an image-based tool that maps tactility. We discussed it very briefly in this blog and I'll include links below. While useful and extremely cool, most cortical homunculii are static - that is, they reflect just one phase (usually adult) of an organism's life. But an eaglet's cortical homunculus will differ from an adult's as body parts and associated skills are gained and neural pathways developed. Our eaglets' brains and bodies are rapidly growing and changing as they gain the skills they need for life outside the egg! I'd tend to think that legs, feet, and wings are starting to 'light up' this week, leading important behaviors like standing, tearing, and flapping!
D24 is 22 days old today, while D25 turns 21 days old. In the past week, the eaglets' footpads and talons have grown, their feet and legs have yellowed, and their talons have turned almost entirely black. Their mohawks have become more apparent as they shed their white natal down, which disappears from the head last. Almost every time I checked in, the eaglets were either eating or recovering from a meal. Their crops bulged so heavily at times that it was hard to believe they could sit up! They also had a fine buffet to chose from, including trout from the hatchery (look for finer scales and a front pointing mouth with thin lips), sucker (look for rougher scales and a bottom pointing mouth with fleshy lips), rabbit, muskrat, and even a mink.
Eaglets spend roughly 75-80 days in the nest, so we are a little under a third of the way to fledge. Most birds of prey seem to spend roughly the first half of nest life gaining weight and growing structural features like footpads, talons, toes, and beaks. While some structural growth may occur later on, the second half of nest life is dedicated to feathers and wings as feathers replace down and wings lengthen.
This week we were treated to a lot of eating and sleeping, but big changes are on the way! Pinfeathers started growing out late in week three and poop went from little slices to big spatters as the eaglets got better at sitting up, bending over, and shooting poop! What else can we look forward to in the coming week?
- The eaglets should start standing on their feet. This will change nest exploration and enable them to really get to work on the Poopcasso tree!
- Natal down mohawks will vanish and dark deck feathers will poke through the eaglets' natal down at an astonishing rate.
- Still enclosed in their keratin sheaths, eaglet pinfeathers will grow longer.
- We may be treated to the beginning of wingercizing sessions! Once the eaglets can stand, they can really begin exploring their wings.
While we've been making guesses at gender, the weight of the two sexes begins to separate as females gain weight faster than males. Sex takes over from age as a size determinant around 50-60 days. But cameras can be tricky and clutches can have large males and small females or be all one sex, making ID impossible without measurements or a genetic test. We'll have a lot of fun seeing if size conforms to our observations based on what we have seen of beak size, commissure extension, and other traits, and I can hardly wait for food tearing and wingercizing!
The general stages of eagle development are:
Stage 1 - Structural growth. In their first thirty-five to forty days of life, eagles grow very rapidly, gaining weight and building bones, muscles, tissue, and features like tarsi, footpads, toes, and claws. This phase of development slows down about halfway through an eaglet's time in the nest, even though individual features might continue some level of growth.
Stage 2 - Feather and flight-related growth. Eagles grow four sets of feathers - natal down inside the egg, thermal down, juvenile feathers, and adult feathers. Thermal down starts growing at about ten days, juvenile deck feathers at about 20-23 days and juvenile flight feathers at about 27 days, but feather growth doesn't overtake structural growth until thirty-five to forty days after hatch. Flight muscles also begin growing as eaglets wingercize, flap, hover, and eventually branch and fledge.
Stage 3 - Neurological Coordination. Eagle watchers know how ungainly eaglets can seem! As they grow, they become more adept at controlling beaks, legs, wings, and feet. They learn to stand on their own feet, tear food, self-feed, and flap their wings, going from cute but clumsy clown clompers to graceful young eaglets poised at the edge of fledge.
I'm not sure how familiar many of you are with the cortical homunculus, an image-based tool that maps tactility. We discussed it very briefly in this blog and I'll include links below. While useful and extremely cool, most cortical homunculii are static - that is, they reflect just one phase (usually adult) of an organism's life. But an eaglet's cortical homunculus will differ from an adult's as body parts and associated skills are gained and neural pathways developed. Our eaglets' brains and bodies are rapidly growing and changing as they gain the skills they need for life outside the egg! I'd tend to think that legs, feet, and wings are starting to 'light up' this week, leading important behaviors like standing, tearing, and flapping!
Eaglet Growth and Development: Week Four
Most of our eaglets are in their fourth week of life: 26, 25, and 22 days old at N2B in Decorah, 27 and 26 days old at the Decorah North nest, and 31 and 29 days old at the Xcel Energy Fort St. Vrain nest. Over the past 16 days, we've seen eaglet footpads and legs growing and turning yellow, talons darkening from taupe to black, grey thermal down replacing white natal down, and pinfeathers emerging from eaglet wingtips. The eaglets have started coughing up pellets, playing 'house' (moving grasses and other nesting material around), and taking their first steps towards self-feeding (
). As their vision, coordination, and strength have improved, the eaglets have expanded nest explorations and started to track events outside their nests, although they also spend a lot time sleeping off big meals and cuddling or even hiding under piles of grass in the cooler, wetter weather at both Iowa nests.
Several watchers have asked if the eaglets are going to fledge soon given their size. No - as hard as it is to believe, we still have roughly 50 days until fledge at both Decorah nests and 45'ish days until fledge at Fort St. Vrain! Eagles grow very rapidly in their first thirty-five to forty days of life, gaining weight and building bones, muscles, tissue, and features like tarsi, footpads, toes, and claws. But during an eagle's fifth week of life (28 to 35 days), feather growth starts to overtake structural growth. Pinfeathers grow from eaglet wings, tails, and backs; beak, leg, and footpad growth all slow; and wing growth speeds up. So what can we look forward to in the coming week? Remember, the eaglets we are watching range from 22 days (D28 is just starting its fourth week) through 31 days (FSV34 is about halfway through its fifth week).
While we've been making guesses at gender, the weight of the two sexes begins to separate as females gain weight faster than males. Sex takes over from age as a size determinant around 50-60 days. But cameras can be tricky and clutches can have large males and small females or be all one sex, making ID impossible without measurements or a genetic test. We'll have a lot of fun seeing if size conforms to our observations based on what we have seen of beak size, commissure extension, and other traits, and I can hardly wait for food tearing and wingercizing!
 |
| Top to bottom: Decorah N2B, Decorah North, Xcel Fort St. Vrain |
Several watchers have asked if the eaglets are going to fledge soon given their size. No - as hard as it is to believe, we still have roughly 50 days until fledge at both Decorah nests and 45'ish days until fledge at Fort St. Vrain! Eagles grow very rapidly in their first thirty-five to forty days of life, gaining weight and building bones, muscles, tissue, and features like tarsi, footpads, toes, and claws. But during an eagle's fifth week of life (28 to 35 days), feather growth starts to overtake structural growth. Pinfeathers grow from eaglet wings, tails, and backs; beak, leg, and footpad growth all slow; and wing growth speeds up. So what can we look forward to in the coming week? Remember, the eaglets we are watching range from 22 days (D28 is just starting its fourth week) through 31 days (FSV34 is about halfway through its fifth week).
- The eaglets should start standing on their feet. This will change nest exploration and poop-shoots. Look out below!
- Natal down mohawks will vanish and dark deck feather growth will accelerate. Look for the eaglets' feather 'cloaks' to start filling in.
- Still enclosed in their keratin sheaths, eaglet pinfeathers will grow longer.
- We may be treated to the beginning of wingercizing sessions! Once the eaglets can stand, they can really begin exploring their wings.
While we've been making guesses at gender, the weight of the two sexes begins to separate as females gain weight faster than males. Sex takes over from age as a size determinant around 50-60 days. But cameras can be tricky and clutches can have large males and small females or be all one sex, making ID impossible without measurements or a genetic test. We'll have a lot of fun seeing if size conforms to our observations based on what we have seen of beak size, commissure extension, and other traits, and I can hardly wait for food tearing and wingercizing!
Eagle Baby's look fantastic. they are developing so well.Delighted to see them come on so 👍👍well
Great images Wheelo even Kompany's goal. The Grankids have or most of them the links of eagles on their pads or phones and every time they come over they keep saying did you see this and that with baby eagles.They got links from my computer They love the👍 Eagles
Graham19811981
TK Veteran
Jesus I took my eye off this for s bit and cannot believe the size of them now WoW 
Whatta Week! Grabbing, Gulping, Growing Ginormous-sauruses!
May 13, 2019 RaptorResource
Image and article by Sherri Elliott
Gee Whiz, that’s a lot of G-words, but there’s even more as we godparents gather and gaze into the nests with gratitude for all the changes glimpsed gauging their gargantuan G-force growth. Gone are the gentle little grubs … replaced by gangly and sometimes goofy and glorious ginormous-sauruses!
We have two nests in Decorah … the original nest at the fish hatchery with Mom Decorah and new male DM2 and their two eaglets D32 & D33, and some distance away in the countryside we have Decorah North, headed by Mr. North and new mate DNF and their one eaglet DN9. I hope you are looking in on both of them as RRP founder Bob Anderson hoped we would to compare and contrast the differences not only in habitat and resources, but also parenting styles, as well as eaglet growth, behaviors, and personalities.
D32 just turned 5 weeks old on Thursday, and D33 will be 5 weeks old on Sunday.
DN9 is slightly older hitting the 6-week old mark on Sunday. You can don a party hat to celebrate the near-halfway mark to the gateway of branching and fledging, or pull out a half a box of Kleenex because the time is passing so quickly. I’d suggest going with the party hat and celebrating every day and every milestone yet to come as all our eaglets seem to be meeting or exceeding developmental benchmarks and milestones. It is pretty amazing to think that at 41-37-34 days old the former 3-inch hatchlings with 3-inch wingspans are now about 2 feet in length with wingspans between 3-4+ feet and weigh between 6-7+ lbs. This is the time period known as T-90 where 90% of their terminal weight can be reached and they become fully feathered.
It’s been obvious observing them when next to a parent that beak depth, feet, toes, talons, and eyes are nearly adult size. They are in various stages of feather development and while primary and secondary feather growth and tail feathers are longer, their other feathers are defined in the cape tracts on their shoulders, back, and heads … forcing out the last little dandelion natal down that is blown off with every new breeze or by preening … either on their own or with a sibling or parental assist. Not everybirdie likes to sit still long though for quick spit bath from another and that can still lead to a mini bonk bout between D32 and D33, or a beak bite from DN9 to a parent. Oh, and those puffy pantaloons are getting polka-dotted too!
We’re hearing lots of vocals emerging now too. The chirps and cheeps have become louder and faster chit chat, or what seems like Eaglet Morse Code. Squeee’s are louder too, punctuated when an incoming parent is observed, or amped-up full volume to a Squeeenami Siren if it looks like a grocery bag is part of the arrival. DN9 and D32 are mastering the mantle, and sometimes even waste a good one when the gift is nest fluff, a stick, or corn stalk, but it’s still good practice finding their fierce. All of them are grabby getting their food bites, or attempting a grab with a grip on the goods and starting to steal and claim the prize. It was cute seeing D32 employ the stealth-setting yesterday while sneaking under Mom’s back carport to get away with a gobble or two of fish out from underneath her while D33 glimpsed the new technique. We seem to see this every year and it always makes me smile at instinctual ingenuity!
We’re entering the time in our young eaglets lives where they are learning their food lessons. Sometimes that will be plentiful provisions and at other times slim pickings. Without sounding snarky, the message is … “get used to it”, as that is the lesson in the wild, and to be fierce and thrive is to be opportunistic taking advantage of what you find. DN9 is proving to be very resourceful in its archeological nestover digs and has already gamely gulped down several found bones, and we alternately gaped and gagged sitting on the sidelines watching a still joined leg bone go down, down, down the hatch as well as a rounder, flatter bone that was gulped part way, spit out, and gulped again. We know that strong stomach acids aid in dissolving calcium-rich bones and extracting the minerals, but how the heck does that fit?
All the eaglets are eating well, and you only have to look at oversized crops to measure the meals going in the gullet. What might seem gamy or gross to us is gourmet for our little gastronom’s.
There’s no reason to worry or to make a call to Eaglet Protective Services if the kids are unattended for some time during the day. Chances are the parents are close by, overhead or otherwise out of our view briefly, but eagle eyes are always focused on their offspring. They have shown us how devoted and nurturing they are when the weather changes and a mombrella is needed for weather or shade as everybirdie scoots under for comfort, cooling or warmth, or cuddles. There are lessons are being learned while on your own … becoming independent, surveying the sights beyond the nest rails and mentally mapping the immediate nest tree, alternately content with neighbor birds visiting or pilfering a few strands of fluff or wing-flapping at one if defending turf. When not snoozing, or squeeing, motor skills are honed tramping around the tarmac, moving fluff around, beak biting sticks, or as we learned from DN9, you are never too young to learn to take a pile of nesting and make your own bed! There’s a lot for them to learn … and us too … as we continue to witness and observe their daily lives. Enjoy every minute … the goalpost to their gateway keeps getting closer! And, ps .. please no more PS graffiti to our camera dome to block our view!
Sweet Eaglet Dreams!
Many thanks to RRP and our Volunteer Camera Crew for the exceptional viewing opportunities, and to our video makers who highlight the special moments of the day.
May 13, 2019 RaptorResource
Image and article by Sherri ElliottGee Whiz, that’s a lot of G-words, but there’s even more as we godparents gather and gaze into the nests with gratitude for all the changes glimpsed gauging their gargantuan G-force growth. Gone are the gentle little grubs … replaced by gangly and sometimes goofy and glorious ginormous-sauruses!
We have two nests in Decorah … the original nest at the fish hatchery with Mom Decorah and new male DM2 and their two eaglets D32 & D33, and some distance away in the countryside we have Decorah North, headed by Mr. North and new mate DNF and their one eaglet DN9. I hope you are looking in on both of them as RRP founder Bob Anderson hoped we would to compare and contrast the differences not only in habitat and resources, but also parenting styles, as well as eaglet growth, behaviors, and personalities.
D32 just turned 5 weeks old on Thursday, and D33 will be 5 weeks old on Sunday.
DN9 is slightly older hitting the 6-week old mark on Sunday. You can don a party hat to celebrate the near-halfway mark to the gateway of branching and fledging, or pull out a half a box of Kleenex because the time is passing so quickly. I’d suggest going with the party hat and celebrating every day and every milestone yet to come as all our eaglets seem to be meeting or exceeding developmental benchmarks and milestones. It is pretty amazing to think that at 41-37-34 days old the former 3-inch hatchlings with 3-inch wingspans are now about 2 feet in length with wingspans between 3-4+ feet and weigh between 6-7+ lbs. This is the time period known as T-90 where 90% of their terminal weight can be reached and they become fully feathered.
It’s been obvious observing them when next to a parent that beak depth, feet, toes, talons, and eyes are nearly adult size. They are in various stages of feather development and while primary and secondary feather growth and tail feathers are longer, their other feathers are defined in the cape tracts on their shoulders, back, and heads … forcing out the last little dandelion natal down that is blown off with every new breeze or by preening … either on their own or with a sibling or parental assist. Not everybirdie likes to sit still long though for quick spit bath from another and that can still lead to a mini bonk bout between D32 and D33, or a beak bite from DN9 to a parent. Oh, and those puffy pantaloons are getting polka-dotted too!
We’re hearing lots of vocals emerging now too. The chirps and cheeps have become louder and faster chit chat, or what seems like Eaglet Morse Code. Squeee’s are louder too, punctuated when an incoming parent is observed, or amped-up full volume to a Squeeenami Siren if it looks like a grocery bag is part of the arrival. DN9 and D32 are mastering the mantle, and sometimes even waste a good one when the gift is nest fluff, a stick, or corn stalk, but it’s still good practice finding their fierce. All of them are grabby getting their food bites, or attempting a grab with a grip on the goods and starting to steal and claim the prize. It was cute seeing D32 employ the stealth-setting yesterday while sneaking under Mom’s back carport to get away with a gobble or two of fish out from underneath her while D33 glimpsed the new technique. We seem to see this every year and it always makes me smile at instinctual ingenuity!
We’re entering the time in our young eaglets lives where they are learning their food lessons. Sometimes that will be plentiful provisions and at other times slim pickings. Without sounding snarky, the message is … “get used to it”, as that is the lesson in the wild, and to be fierce and thrive is to be opportunistic taking advantage of what you find. DN9 is proving to be very resourceful in its archeological nestover digs and has already gamely gulped down several found bones, and we alternately gaped and gagged sitting on the sidelines watching a still joined leg bone go down, down, down the hatch as well as a rounder, flatter bone that was gulped part way, spit out, and gulped again. We know that strong stomach acids aid in dissolving calcium-rich bones and extracting the minerals, but how the heck does that fit?
All the eaglets are eating well, and you only have to look at oversized crops to measure the meals going in the gullet. What might seem gamy or gross to us is gourmet for our little gastronom’s.
- At Decorah North … the parents have brought in 45 prey items since my last tally and DN9 has indulged in: fish, fox squirrel, pheasant (with an egg), cowghetti (cow placenta), gray squirrel, possum and unidentifiable food objects termed ‘mystery meat’, as well some found bones.
- At Decorah (hatchery nest) … the parents have hauled home 89 meals for D32 & D33 for a variety of: fish, 2 rabbits, squirrel, bird, and some mystery meat. Of note is Mom’s impressive use of the Buy-1-Get-1-Free Coupons at the hatchery for 4 trips in with two fish at a time, including 3 trips just yesterday with a fish in each foot within a 40-minute time span. Wow, SuperMom!!
There’s no reason to worry or to make a call to Eaglet Protective Services if the kids are unattended for some time during the day. Chances are the parents are close by, overhead or otherwise out of our view briefly, but eagle eyes are always focused on their offspring. They have shown us how devoted and nurturing they are when the weather changes and a mombrella is needed for weather or shade as everybirdie scoots under for comfort, cooling or warmth, or cuddles. There are lessons are being learned while on your own … becoming independent, surveying the sights beyond the nest rails and mentally mapping the immediate nest tree, alternately content with neighbor birds visiting or pilfering a few strands of fluff or wing-flapping at one if defending turf. When not snoozing, or squeeing, motor skills are honed tramping around the tarmac, moving fluff around, beak biting sticks, or as we learned from DN9, you are never too young to learn to take a pile of nesting and make your own bed! There’s a lot for them to learn … and us too … as we continue to witness and observe their daily lives. Enjoy every minute … the goalpost to their gateway keeps getting closer! And, ps .. please no more PS graffiti to our camera dome to block our view!
Sweet Eaglet Dreams!
Many thanks to RRP and our Volunteer Camera Crew for the exceptional viewing opportunities, and to our video makers who highlight the special moments of the day.