There is a pair of eagles in Decorah Iowa that have been viewed by cam for the past few seasons, at their nest. They've been busy building it up for this season, and today/tonight seems to be the night mama is in labor to lay the first egg of this season. The past few seasons I have watched, she lays an egg every other day. once the first one is laid. This pair have produced 3 eggs/hatchlings the past few seasons.
Truly a gift to have this cam, so we can watch something we'd otherwise never get a front seat view it. It's currently snowing there, and she will sit there getting fully covered up by it, then shake it off in one swift move.
You can google Decorah eagle, or click this link. I apologize this isn't "mineral rights" related, but wanted to share something unique.
It appeared she was laboring last night, I watched till 10:30 when she layed down and zonked. I wondered if she'd laid an egg and was resting, but this AM she was out of nest and no egg. Not sure why that was.
This evening she had rabbit for supper and papa finished it off when she was done. It would have been nice to see her swooping down for the grab.
This particular pair, are near a fish hatchery, so you occasionally get to see fresh fish being brought to the nest to feed on.
I pulled a Texas Red Hawk out of a leg trap once. I believe the trap was intended for coyote with a rabbit suspended above the trap for bait. The hawk allowed me to release it and did not struggle initially when I picked it up to take it to a vet because I think it was going to lose that leg. It did start squirming to the point I lost hold of it after carrying it for 50 yards, it did me no harm though. Later, same area I pulled a dog from another trap, I expected the dog to bite and would not have blamed it if it did but I escaped unscathed as I helped the dog make his getaway. It's a blessing to see animals in nature. I will have to watch the eagles when I have more time, thanks Snues.
Reports on the eagle blog, suggest it was similar to a false labor that mama had. I was surprised as she seems so proficient at laying eggs in the past.
RW, awesome stories and fabulous that you could release the trap without becoming a victim too. Funny how animals have that 6th sense of accepting a helping hand. Never heard of a TX Red Hawk, I'll have to read up on them. Birds of prey are interesting to watch. You watch them stock their prey, and usually win the prize, but its not as simple as they make it look.
We were lucky to see and photo Mr. fox most of winter 2013; although it really meant that we had an infestation of voles wreaking havoc among our tree line and lawn. Almost every other day, Mr. fox would wander in and play the game to capture a vole deep under the snow.
This current winter, we haven't seen a fox, so the voles moved on to another lawn. Sad to miss the fox sightings, but less damage to the yard, come spring. I added a few fox photos.
Nature is a gift that sometimes exists right out the back door, if you're not stuck in city life. I keep an ongoing list of wildlife I have seen in our yard. Two years ago, we had an abundance of skunks, thanks to grubs in our soil. Just last week, down the hill 200 ft. were approximately a dozen wild turkeys. I only wished I knew how to lasso a turkey and have a yummy supper. I'm not proficient at archery, but maybe I should practice.
I now regret not snapping photos of them while they were there. Not sure what their navigating routes were last week, but thrilled they stopped nearby.
Snues, from what I have seen in the last 20 years, foxes, owls, turkeys and a whole host of other animals are moving back into cities. The skunks never left, unless it was a brief vacation. I have rarely had any holes of remarkable size but I did once have an armadillo take up residence. When it comes to digging, they are overqualified.
The 3 eggs should start hatching by the end of March, then the fun really begins. Watching mom and dad bringing food to the nest for them, and seeing how quickly they grow. Fuzzy gray to begin with, but shortly after the black feathers appear.
What I found interesting to watch, when they roll the eggs every 20-30 minutes, mom keeps them all in a huddled circle, and dad sort of lines them up straight, before he sits on them.
