Raptor Resource Project

12/31/2025

Memory Lane Moments | April of 2025

A favorite moment is a bit of a conundrum. Some moments - eaglets hatching, HD and HM's first copulation, an eaglet poopshoot - are funny, touching, lovely, breathtaking. Others - Mr. North's tender care for the couple's unhatched egg, Dad's final appearance at N2B in 2018, beautiful falcon Savanna at Great Spirit Bluff - are bittersweet, but beautiful in memory.

And then there was the discovery of Mr. T's second nest on Easter Sunday of this year. I have a hard time calling it a favorite: two of three eaglets dead in a cold, slashing rain; Mr. T taking food for his other nest; SuperMom Mrs. T eventually raising TE3 to fledge by herself. Many fans brought their own lives to the comments, arguing about single mothers, deadbeat dads, and genetic maximization strategies. It was a week! Or more.

The Oxford Dictionary defines anthropomorphism as the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. You will be injured if you work with wildlife and believe that they perceive the world the same way you do. And yet, you bring your whole heart to that work and we all see something of ourselves looking out of our nests. Thank you for bringing yourself and risking love for the wild families and places we watch.

And another thanks to former lead moderator Elfruler for documenting cooperative breeding in Bald Eagles with Elf's diligence, detail, and scholarly focus: https://www.elfruler.com/?page_id=906. This was the most-read blog on our website this year: https://www.raptorresource.org/2025/04/25/whats-going-on-with-the-trempealeau-eagles-cooperative-and-not-so-cooperative-breeding/

12/30/2025

Memory Lane Moments | March of 2025
The Norths nest along a mini-Flyway: a long, steeply-sided river valley that funnels wind south for miles. It has everything an eagle could want: fish, perches, an awesome wind assist, and upland farms rich in carcasses. And bald eagles are pretty smart: it didn’t take long for them to learn that this clear, cold tributary is a great route to the southern reaches of the Mississippi River.

In short: the Norths get visitors.

In March of 2025, we witnessed an intense 18 minutes at the North Nest when a subadult eagle dropped in for a dusk-time snack. DNF was not pleased, but rather than risk a struggle that could endanger her eggs, she mantled over them and vocalized sharply, making it clear that the intruder was unwelcome. All was well that ended well, but we - and 1.4 million of you! - were captivated by the encounter and DNF's intelligence, care, and dedication to her eggs.

Since we also want to keep you up to date on things now, don't miss this video from earlier today...especially if you like owls! The Norths better put out their 'No Vacancy' sign: https://youtu.be/NAYEDdzqicQ?si=LT5naxP-ry8X50wr

12/30/2025

I'm sharing this because we worked with Ed! Back in 2013, he helped the Raptor Resource Project install Peregrine Falcon nest boxes on Pools 13 and 14 on the Mississippi River. The Upper Mississippi is one of our very favorite places and it's wonderful to hear the stories of people dedicated to its deep map: the geology, wildlife, history, culture, and people that bring meaning, understanding, and action to preserve the places we love.

12/29/2025

Memory Lane Moments | February of 2025
In February of 2025, your favorite post was wings-up DNF's Valentine's Day egg! But you also wondered about the cold, loved Ma FSV's first egg, and got earwormed with the (North) Eagle's first hit: ♫ Corn ♩♪♫♬ husks on ♫ my ♪ shoulders makes me ♫ happy...

In honor of Mr. North's diligent attention to his mate, nest, and eggs, and DNF's Valentine's Day surprise, we present your favorite February video: Mr. North's Gift!

Cold is a perennial concern in December, January, and February. If you've been wondering about it, follow this link: https://www.raptorresource.org/2025/01/21/flashback-blog-how-do-eagles-stay-warm-in-cold-weather/

12/24/2025

Happy holidays from all of us to all of you! Here is to friends all around the world: the things we’ve learned, the beautiful wild families we’ve watched and protected, and everyone we met along the way. Thank you for your friendship, your support, and your passion. We hope your 2026 is as merry and bright as an eagle's eye!

12/23/2025

Love is in the nest! Our eagle-eyed camera operators spotted a copulation on camera yesterday: our first on-camera copulation at the North Nest since April 4.

What triggers copulation? Let’s back up to the summer solstice in mid-June, when the days are at their longest and the great seasonal wheel of the year is turning slowly. A bird's go**ds regress, its reproductive hormones ebb, and a new hormonal phase takes over. Depending on age, species, pair bond status, parental status, and migratory behavior, it may respond by decreasing fledgling care, flocking, increasing food intake, storing more body fat, and/or leaving its summer home.

At my house on the 45th parallel, we start looking for flocks of starlings and blackbirds in August. On the Flyway, waterfowl numbers begin ramping up in early September. And among territorial non-migratory Bald Eagle pairs, the change sparks nest-building, which reinforces the pair's bond.

As courtship deepens, nestorations ramp up. Last year's nest is buried beneath piles of sticks and heaps of corn husks, corn stalks, and fluffy grass. Male eagles bring food gifts, couples perch and vocalize together, and pairs dig, scrape, and mold soft materials to form a cradle for their eggs. They progress from working and perching together to pecking, footing, body brushing, and displaying, which further reinforces their bond and eventually leads to copulation. Big nests are sexy! https://www.raptorresource.org/2025/11/13/birds-and-nest-building-2/

After the winter solstice, days lengthen, eagle go**ds swell, reproductive hormones start flowing, and copulation increases. Last year, copulation began on December 9, although it didn't really ramp up until January 28: 17 days prior to DNF laying her first egg. We'll be looking for - and counting! - copulations to help us predict laying this year. Stay tuned!

12/23/2025

Looking for something to do over the holidays? It's a great time to go eagle watching! We're also seeing large numbers of eagles on our Trempealeau and Great Spirit Bluff streams.
Trempealeau: https://www.raptorresource.org/trempealeau-eagles/
Great Spirit Bluff: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/gsb-falcons/

🦅 WINTER BALD EAGLE COUNT - 12/19/2025 – EAGLES ARE MOVING AROUND CREATING MULTIPLE GREAT LOCATIONS!🦅

The ice coverage on the Mississippi River has changed and as a result the Bald Eagles are on the move. Unlike last week when vast sections of the river were iced over, this week there are many sections of open water. This is allowing the eagles more space to find food sources and causing our counts to be a little lower but good numbers at multiple locations.
If you have family in town for the holiday, then load up the station wagon and go out looking for eagles. Remember the National Eagle Centers keeps our buildings comfy warm temperature with great viewing of wild eagles and our Ambassador Eagles!

Photo by Bryon Porter 📸🦅😍

VIEW THE COUNTS: bit.ly/3Pb4an7

How is the activity in Wabasha? Check the Eaglewatch Cam: bit.ly/3n6ocoU

Kaposia Landing (South St. Paul) – 17 Adults + 9 Juveniles = 26
Hastings, MN (Dam 1) – 5 Adults + 0 Juveniles = 5
Evert's Resort (Hagar City, WI) - 4 Adults + 0 Juveniles = 4
Red Wing (Colvill Park) – 11 Adults + 0 Juveniles = 11
Lake Pepin – 6 Adults + 7 Juveniles = 13
Reads Landing – 32 Adults + 18 Juveniles = 50
Wabasha – 16 Adults + 1 Juveniles = 17
Alma, WI (Dam 4) – 40 Adults + 9 Juveniles = 49
Buffalo City (WI) – 6 Adults + 0 Juveniles = 6
Winona (Dam 5) – 12 Adults + 16 Juveniles = 25
Trempealeau, WI (Dam 6) – 11 Adults + 3 Juveniles = 14
Dresbach, MN (Dam 7) - 16 Adults + 7 Juveniles = 23
La Crosse, WI (Eagle Watch Park) - No Count

12/21/2025

Thank you, Beau!

12/20/2025

Memory Lane Moments | January 2025
Back in January of 2025, North nestorations were in full swing and eagle fans loved watching Mr. North and DNF pile husks, stalks, and grass into their new nest. S**g carpets are back, baby!

12/19/2025

This video could easily be mistaken for an amorous DNF with a shy Mr. North, but looks can be deceiving! DNF was out collecting sticks when an intruder landed on her nest. When she returned, she footed, shoved and bit the intruder. But the intruder refused to leave, although she sought a temporary reprieve on the bionic limb.

I found the last part especially interesting. The intruder at no point attacked DNF and assumed a submissive posture toward the end of their encounter: wings folded and tilted downward, 'shoulders' shrugged, and body tilted slightly forward. I expected a more aggressive interaction but instead it looks like the intruder is interested in moving in.

DNF eventually took off (also unexpected) and the intruder moved branches around before leaving. While we don’t think this marks the beginning of an eagle thruple, it did make us wonder whether encounters like this play a role in the formation of multiple partner breeding groups.

Even after years of watching, eagles continue to surprise us! Full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsGZ9NJ7okw

Are we sure both of them are female? I went back and forth, since I expected DNF to be more aggressive towards a female intruder, but our camera operators caught several stills of the intruder. She and DNF are very close in size and she has the smoky eye and brow we associate with female eagles. I've added some captures for anyone who wants to take a look!

12/19/2025

Here we go a-wassailing among the pines so green! Mr. and Mrs. T's vocalizations are sweet music to our ears. Interested in eagle vocalizations? Here's a link! https://www.raptorresource.org/2022/12/09/eagle-vocalizations-hd-hm-and-morning-song/