Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 + 2023

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JudyB
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Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 + 2023

Post by JudyB » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:04 pm

Posts for the 2023 nesting season start here

Thanks to MaryF for finding much of the background information for this nest!

Link to the Cam -- https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/features/we ... index.html

MN non-game Facebook link -- https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNonga ... m/?fref=ts

DNR group FB page -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/227557260721558/

Minnesota is in the central time zone.

HWF would like to thank the Minnesota DNR, Floyd Security and Xcel Energy for setting up this Bald Eagle Cam for our entertainment, enjoyment and education!.

This eagle camera is brought to you by the Minnesota DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program, which helps over 700 species of Minnesota wildlife thrive. We are watching live video of a Twin Cities eagle nest. This pair of eagles has nested in the same area since about 2010, fledging at least one chick in that time. The initial cam for this nest was installed in late 2012 - and there is a new cam for 2019 with infrared light for viewing at night and sound! The nest is in an undisclosed Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) metro area location.

Link to the thread for the 2019-2021 seasons

2021-2022 Nesting Season:
  • cam on: by December 1st
  • eggs laid: February 12, 5:18 pm; February 16, 1:54 pm
  • hatched: March 22, about 11:50 am (38 days); March 25, before 7:24 am (37 days)
  • male disappears: last seen on April 26
  • more sad news: April 30 - there were intruders around after the male disappeared, the weather was bad and the chicks were too young to be left for long in those conditions - which means there wasn't enough food. Older eaglet E1, doing what was needed to do to survive, began attacking younger sibling E2, and managed to push the younger chick off the nest; the youngster survived the fall but had at least one complex fracture and serious internal injuries, so the hard decision was made to humanely euthanize little E2. :cry1:
  • banded: E1 was banded on May 6; she(?) weighed almost 9 pounds (at 6 weeks old), and measurements suggest she is a female; band is on the right leg
  • named: the eaglets aren't officially named, but the Facebook group called E1 Harriet, in memory of Harry
  • fledged: June 23, 7:42 am (93 days)
  • last seen: July 28, 128 days
  • cam off: around August 25

2022-2023 Nesting Season:
  • cam on: (goal is November 17)
  • eggs laid:
  • hatched:
  • banded:
  • fledged:
  • last seen:
  • cam off:


(From the Minnesota DNR) -- The nest is very high in the tree and a bucket truck was needed to install the camera. This work was done early in the winter, before the birds were displaying courtship behavior or even frequenting the nest. The eagles are not fed by humans, nor does anyone physically visit this nest. They are completely on their own, in their natural environment with no assistance from humans. This is the way nature intended and this is also why we keep the location of this nest discreet. Any disturbance could threaten the nest, or habituate the birds which could turn out to be deadly for the new family. We do not want that to happen! We are very grateful to be able to witness this fascinating and amazing process. Our generation is very fortunate to have this opportunity. We hope that you are also enjoying every minute of spying on the natural world and learning from these beautiful and majestic birds.

Image
Screenshot from June 15, 2021, with thanks to RitaR

Note to viewers (from MN DNR): This is live video of wild bald eagles living in nature. Natural struggles will occur and some of the feeding or other wild bird behaviors may be difficult to watch. Please use discretion when watching this cam. DNR staff monitor this camera and nest.

To our EagleCam followers, the purpose of the EagleCam is to allow researchers and the public to witness the natural processes of Bald Eagle courtship, egg laying and incubation, hatching, eaglet care, prey selection, and fledging. It is important to remember that in addition to observing successes, it is also valuable to observe and document failures, including eaglet fighting and potentially the causes of eaglet mortality (sibling rivalry, starvation, exposure, predation, etc.). We do NOT plan to cut the live feed to censor these natural processes. NOTICE- You have to decide for yourself if/when you need to turn off the feed in the event that difficult-to-view events transpire.

We will not be naming the EagleCam Bald Eagles. These are wild birds, not pets, and we want to avoid the personification of wild animals.

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 Season

Post by JudyB » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:46 pm

History

Link for summary of 2013-2017

Link for info on Mom's band

2018 was a year of changes. The resident male apparently disappeared in mid-December. A new male arrived (I think this is the male named Bill by observers on Facebook), and Mom laid three eggs in mid-February - and then that male disappeared a week or so later. I wasn't watching through most of this, and it's not easy to sort out what was happening from posts on Facebook - I like posts that stay in chronological order, like on a forum! But it's my impression that the male named Bill returned around March 20, and even did a bit of incubating, though the eggs had been left alone too long for them to be viable at that point. One egg broke on March 30 and another disappeared the evening of March 31 when the cam was down. I'm not sure what happened to the 3rd egg, but it didn't hatch. However - it sounds as if Bill stayed around, so here's hoping for chicks next year!

2019 was another non-productive year at this nest - no eggs were laid. As far as I can tell from various Facebook groups and other sources, the resident pair disappeared around March 30; there had been a raccoon visiting the nest, and other eagles in the area - either of which might have made the pair abandon the nest; there are local photographers who observe the eagles, and they didn't find another nest; it's also possible that the resident pair lost a territorial battle. A new pair of eagles arrived soon after the resident pair left, and settled in, but they did not lay eggs.

The new pair prepared the nest and laid three eggs in 2020, all of which hatched. Sadly the youngest chick died when it was 25 days old - it was quite a bit smaller so may have had trouble competing for food, and there was a cold front so it might have gotten chilled. The other two fledged successfully, but the older one died two weeks later after flying into a power line.

The male did not return for the 2021 nesting season and the female paired with a younger mate, who still had some dark feathers. They produced two eggs, both of which hatched, and observers enjoyed watching the new male learn how to be a Dad. Both chicks fledged successfully (although their initial departures from the nest were accidental in both cases and it took a bit of time for them to get back); they continued to visit the nest for at least another month and were still being seen in the area in mid-August.

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 Season

Post by JudyB » Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:05 pm

Reserved

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 Season

Post by JudyB » Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:05 pm

Reserved

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:04 pm

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Sat Dec 11, 2021 8:06 am

Our female eagle on the nest in the falling snow today.
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https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=27 ... 8428444651

Juvie visitor

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:03 am

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Tue Dec 21, 2021 5:53 am

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:03 pm

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:12 am

2021, 28th December: Short eagle visit 11:57:21...

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Thu Dec 30, 2021 4:59 am

30 Dec. 2021

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Fri Dec 31, 2021 6:30 pm

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - Seasons 2019-2021

Post by Ferenz » Mon Jan 03, 2022 6:50 am

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 Season

Post by JudyB » Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:08 pm

Hi folks! I apologize for forgetting to unlock this thread once the cam was back; I've now moved the posts from December and January here, locked the old thread, and opened this one.


Saturday, January 8, 2022

I haven't been following the nest, but did notice that folks on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/227557260721558/) are reporting that a pair of great horned owls also appear to be interested in the nest.

I checked the dvr and found a brief visit by the eagles around 11 am central time:
20220108_020.jpg

I sort of hope the owls were just passing through - they also need a nest, and aren't generally as good as eagles at building nests, or at least prefer to avoid the do-it-yourself routine - but it would be nice to have a peaceful, happy year here.

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Re: Minnesota DNR Eagle Cam - 2022 Season

Post by Ferenz » Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:50 am

MN-DNR: The regal pair is vigilantly protecting their territory today. Their behavior today displays that hormones are kicking into high gear, getting ready for eggs!

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https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNonga ... m/?fref=ts
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