The Decorah, Iowa eaglets hatched

[Cheryl J]

It's so amazing to watch these magnificent birds share parenting, housekeeping, and grocery shopping! Kind of hard to believe a couple of weeks ago, the nest was buried in snow - all that could be seen was part of the eagle sitting on the eggs. The babies are so cute!

Ususally you have to wait for a short ad to play before the eagle cam starts, but here it is if anyone is interested.

WATCH: Decorah Eagles’ Nest Cam | whotv.com

 

[Dawgluver]

It is fascinating, isn't it Cheryl. Thanks for the link! Wonderful parents.

I have a friend who's addicted to all things Eagle Cam. We're fortunate to get many eagles here along the Mississippi.

 

[Kayelle]

Cheryl, we have eagle web cams on our channel islands right here in California too!

I haven't checked on them lately, but a year or two ago it was my daily habit to be there several times a day. What a wonderful success story after almost loosing the species in the 60's. To experience seeing one in flight makes everyone's heart soar with pride. Magnificent!!

Thanks for the link.....going now to check it out.

 

[Cheryl J]

You're welcome, ladies!

I've seen the Channel islands eaglecam too, Kayelle! For some reason I just kind of got hooked on the Iowa one this time.

I just checked and one of them was feeding the eaglets and is now snuggling over them to keep them warm. Aww...

 

[Kayelle]

We must have been there at the same time Cheryl.....I saw them being fed too!!

Dang, it sure is noisy there with machinery of some kind. Sad it's not more peaceful for the family! Maybe they should move to the deserted and quiet Channel Islands.

 

[Cheryl J]

We must have been there at the same time Cheryl.....I saw them being fed too!!

Dang, it sure is noisy there with machinery of some kind. Sad it's not more peaceful for the family! Maybe they should move to the deserted and quiet Channel Islands.

It sounds like a leaf or snow blower I read that this is the eagle couples' 21 egg - and they normally return to the same nest, so I guess they're used to it.

 

[Cheryl J]

There are 3 eaglets! I thought I only saw 2 earlier.

Ok...I need to close it down and get stuff done, otherwise I'll be like Dawg's friend and addicted to this.

 

[Bigjim68]

decorah

It sounds like a leaf or snow blower I read that this is the eagle couples' 21 egg - and they normally return to the same nest, so I guess they're used to it.

A couple of years back, this pair deserted their old nest and began a new one. The camera was off for the year.

Fascinating animals. It's got to get a bit chilly sitting under a blanket of snow in the open overnight.

 

[Cheryl J]

I didn't know that, bigjim. Thanks for the info. What a job it must be to build a 1000lb or so nest. And yes, it must have been at least a little cold for them sitting there covered in snow...they have lots of down, but still!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

This is so cool! I clicked on the link, figured I wouldn't see anything since it was, I guess, around midnight out there. Uh-uh. Either Momma or Dad (I have no idea with eagles) was keeping the babies warm, when they must have gotten an itch under their wing. After much nibbling at the offending spot, the poor chicks were disturbed. A bit of grooming to them to settle them down, then the parent settled back in to go back to sleep. Which is where I should be, I guess! Unfortunately, I'm not as smart as a bird.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I'm not in bed yet either It's Live. No wonder the parent is sleeping.

We once went to Decorah. For Pizza. Friends were over on a Friday night after work. Someone said, lets go out for pizza. Fr Hus said lets go to Decorah. (He had worked at a pizza place while in college there. "Best Pizza Ever". ) We were up for it, and hopped in the car and followed the scenic route along the Mississippi River, a short 3 1/2 hour drive. Ate Pizza, open til midnight.

We shared a motel room and went hiking along the Decorah bluffs the next day. The scenic route was better coming home during daytime. Now I wonder if we tromped along some eagle's hunting area.

Need to watch this during daytime, me thinks.

 

[Cheryl J]

Watching it now while I have my morning coffee.
One parent just came back, and the other one immediately flew away. Guess she needed to get out of the house for a while.

The one that came back brought lunch. It's hard to tell but looks like it may be a rabbit. It's pulling fur off of something and flinging it away. Lunchtime for the babies.

 

[Kayelle]

Geeze, I'm hooked on this Cheryl. I keep the window minimized on my computer, leaving the sound on so I can do something else. When I hear the babies it's like a baby monitor and I can click to check on them. I'm amazed how they've grown in just 5 days! The people you see walking down on that path in the background have no idea what drama is going on in that tree. Fascinating.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

O wow, their nest is really high. Nice to see this in daylight, my introduction was around 2 am and no one was moving and not much light. Now 2 babies were in front of the parent and were moving around. I book marked this so it's easy to open and then have it On and can bring it up when the sound changes. Neat neat, thanks for sharing this site!

 

[Cheryl J]

You're welcome, Whisk. Like Kay said, be prepared to be hooked...! I also have the link open in another window when I'm on the computer, so I can check on them.

A year or two ago I was following the Channel Islands, CA eagle cam. It's more remote and there isn't as much shade. It was amazing to see the parents lay there with their massive wings spread to shade the babies from the hot California sun.

 

[Dawgluver]

Drat, Cheryl, now I gotta go check on them again!

Shhh, they're sleeping now.

 

[Addie]

When I lived in Tacoma, I was fortunate enough to live close enough to Nisqually Valley. There are hundreds of Bald Eagles there year round. One day I was out hanging up laundry. I just happened to look up and there were two of them doing some sort of aerial dance. It looked like it might be a mating dance. I forgot about the laundry and laid down of the grass and just watched them. Then there is a place on the way up to Mt. Ranier where there is a forest of dead trees from fire or disease. The Bald Eagles have claimed it as their place to just rest. I was surprised that the dead branches could hold their weight.

To see these magnificent birds up so close takes your breath away. If you go there on the weekend, you don't have the time to just stop and admire them. Too many cars behind you. But go in the morning hours on the week and that is what we always did. Sometimes the sight of them would just bring tears to my eyes. How can you not feel some of the American Pride when you see them and are glad they are such a strong symbol of our country.

 

[Kayelle]

I'm guessing that you lived there a very long time ago Addie. In 1963 there were only 417 nesting pairs in all of the entire lower 48 states.

Bald Eagle Recovery Questions and Answers

 

[Cheryl J]

Interesting article - thanks, Kay. Wow....the magnificent eagle population sure had a close call there for a while. So glad their numbers have increased as much as they have.

The eaglets sure are growing fast! I just checked in on them - looks like a really windy day there today.

 

[Kayelle]

WOW we thought our kids grew fast! I haven't checked on them for about a week.

I'm wondering if other people in the world understand our great love and devotion to our national symbol? I'm sure glad my Uncle Ben (Franklin) didn't get his way with his nomination of the turkey.