Link to the Cams: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams ... ergy-cams/
There is also a public Facebook group that follows this nest - http://www.facebook.com/groups/445733962172528/
(Admin note: Because there are not many posts, I'm going to continue this thread into the next season)
Links to the start of the current and previous season's discussion in this thread:
- 2022/2023 Season starts HERE
- 2021/2022 Season starts HERE
- 2020/2021 Season starts HERE
- 2019/2020 Season starts HERE
- 2018/2019 Season starts HERE
Thank you to Xcel Energy and Raptor Resource Project for all you do for this nest. Fort St. Vrain is near Platteville, Colorado, on private property near the Xcel generation station; it's in the mountain time zone. The nest is in a large cottonwood tree near the junction of the St. Vrain and Platte rivers. It measures eight feet, one inch by six feet, seven inches by nine feet, ten inches and "has excellent flyways – perhaps due in part to stick-snapping and nest-building activities." The cameras got an update in August 2017 - the existing side-view cam was cleaned and repositioned, and a new PTZ cam was added, providing a great look down into the nest. The Raptor Resource Project reported that they "did the best we could to position all of the cameras out of poop range!" (Read more here, with thanks to the Raptor Resource Project.)
Mom and Dad Fort St. Vrain do not really migrate but they move around the area during the summer, but also visit the nest area. They usually begin nestorations in early October. Eggs are laid in mid February. Eaglets hatch in March and the eaglets have fledged in early June. Both eagles have been banded. Mom has 2 bands and Dad has one. He may have a orange-ish yellow, maybe faded tag on his right leg. With the new cam we may be able to get a better look at the bands. The top view we have been seeing the last few years has not afforded us a very good view of the bands. Mom has a deep inverted v on the front neckline. Dad's is more of a rectangle in shape but also can appear to be even along the front of the neckline.
2017-2018 Nesting Season:
- eggs laid: February 12, seen 10:08 pm; February 15, 9:34 pm; February 19, 5:23 pm
- hatched: FSV36 - March 24, 9:45 pm (40 days); FSV37 - March 25, 12:27 pm (38 days); FSV38 - March 28, 7:00 pm (37 days)
- named: FSV36, FSV37 and FSV38
- fledged: between June 14 and 22
- last seen: all three fledglings were seen in the area July 19;
- eggs laid: February 13, 8:40 pm; February 17, between 1 and 4 am; February 20, before daybreak
- hatched: FSV39 - March 25, 9:43 pm (40 days); FSV40 - March 26, 12:34 pm (37 days); 3rd egg didn't hatch
- named: FSV39, FSV40
- fledged: June 10?; June 13? (they can perch out of sight so hard to tell)
- last seen: both fledglings seen July 4
- eggs laid: February 14, 5:55 pm; February 17, 5:41 pm; February 21, 6:39 pm
- cams down: turned off to conserve energy; Xcel provided occasional pictures
- hatched: March 26 (38 days); March 29 (37 days); one didn't hatch - I suspect the 1st
- sad news: one of the eaglets died between April 15 and April 21, probably as a result of a bad spring snowstorm
- named: FSV41, FSV42
- fledged: I think so but couldn't find date
- last seen: unknown with no cams
- new male: Observers noticed that the pair was acting a bit differently than they had in previous years - and discovered that the previous male had a band on the left leg, and the male we've been seeing since the cam came back up this year has a band on the right leg.
- eggs laid: March 4, 5:17 pm; March 7, 5:10 pm; March 10, 6:30 pm
- sad news: one of the eggs broke on March 15; there was a lot of snow and a chunk of ice fell off a branch over the nest and cracked the egg; based on the hatch dates, I'm guessing it was the first egg that was lost
- hatched: April 14, 6:17 am (37 days); April 17. 5:50 am (37 days)
- named: FSV43, FSV44
- sad news: we don't know why, but first chick FSV43 died on April 15; the eaglet appeared fine when the adult began brooding that afternoon, but was not moving when the adult got up later.
- fledged: FSV44 fledged on July 6, 9:46 am
- tagged: FSV44 was captured after fledging and is now banded and has a tracking tag; they determined he was male
- eggs laid: March 3, 5:09 pm; March 6, evening; March 9, 6:56 pm
- hatched: April 11, 9:40 am (39 days); April 13, 12:50 am (38 days); didn't hatch
- named: FSV45, FSV46
- sad news: a raccoon came into the nest the evening of May 23rd when the chicks were alone; 6-week-old FSV45 scared it off the first time, but it returned and grabbed the feisty young eaglet and dragged it off the nest even though at least one adult had arrived by then and was flying at the raccoon; the remains of the eaglet were recovered in the morning
- fledged: July 1, 3:58 pm (79 days)
- last seen: FSV46 - on cam, August 15; in area, August 28
- lcam off: August 16
- eggs laid:
- hatched:
- named:
- fledged:
- last seen:
Dad arrives to take a turn incubating the eggs, 2/26/18
Thanks to the Raptor Resource Project and Xcel Energy for providing this wonderful look into the world of eagles.