Raptor Resource Project

01/07/2026

Whooo's that owl? Great Horned Owls are busy nest shopping, courting, and getting ready for eggs. Since they don't build their own nests, they need to find a hole or take someone else's. Mr. North and DNF better put up a 'No vacancy' sign!

Want to learn more about owls? Follow the link! https://www.raptorresource.org/2026/01/06/owls-strigiformes/

01/07/2026

Kick up your feet, grab a favorite snack – maybe some leftover Christmas cookies? – and get ready for NestFlix! DNF and Mr. North are busy hauling in sticks and soft materials to create an eggcellent nursery for this year’s egglets and eaglets, while their neighbors go about their lives beneath and around the nest. Owls, coyotes, squirrels, and other birds remind us that the eagles are part of a larger, active ecosystem: one that hums with life long after daylight fades and snow covers the ground.

We hope you enjoy these videos as much as we did! Thanks to our camera operators for finding such special moments, our videomakers for sharing them, and to all of you for watching, sharing, learning, and especially for caring.

Decorah North Eagles

January 6, 2026: Mr. North has company with his bath – https://youtu.be/G5gi3lUVuIE?si=f8CtoIFcU_35VuDw. Dad? Is that you? This isn’t one of the North offspring: it’s a juvenile eagle and the North Nest failed this year. But I’m picking up ‘Are you my father?’ vibes nonetheless! Mr. North is too busy taking a splish-splash eagle bath to worry about the youngster foraging on the shore behind him, and the young eagle appears preoccupied with finding food.

Feathers are essential to the health and survival of birds: beautifully complex structures that require almost continuous care. They need to be cleaned, straightened, and aligned to protect their wearers from the elements, keep parasites from lodging in and beneath them, and yield a streamlined flight. They also play an important social role, since they advertise health and fitness to mates and rivals, and may cement communal or family bonds in some avian species. No wonder Mr. North looks so good!

January 5, 2026: It takes two to tango! https://youtu.be/IKxZOa6tthA?si=nECbPe_j-b4hLcVx. Bald eagles are famous for their whirling nuptial flights, but nest-building is where the rubber really hits the road: it puts mates in close contact with one another and shows off an eagle’s strength, inter-individual cooperation ability, and skill level. I gave the Norths get a solid ten on their tango skills – Dancing with the Stars, anyone? – and I love Mr. North’s look at 2:55.

January 5, 2025: Mr. North & DNF porządkują gniazdo [Mr. North & DNF are cleaning up the nest]: – https://youtu.be/bhTPQ2JTWDw?si=aMzgpWxSZBGvg5QR. Go to 5:04 to see Mr. North fit testing the egg cup. Eagles lay their eggs in an egg- or nest-cup inside the larger nest structure. While both eagles work on the nest, smaller males spend more time refining and ‘testing’ the smaller cup to ensure it is ready for eggs. We think this ensures a tight ‘seal’ around the eggs regardless of the size of the incubating or brooding adult.

January 5, 2026: The Call of the Wild! Coyotes! https://youtu.be/Xpn6bMpKA8A?si=D-mam_TGfwOunbRQ. An incredible coyote chorus sings in the darkness! We see the coyotes beginning at 48 seconds. If you’d like to learn more about coyote vocalizations, follow this link: https://www.raptorresource.org/2024/03/13/coyotes-and-coyote-vocalizations-a-guest-blog-by-janet-kessler-of-coyote-yipps/.

January 3, 2026: Great Horned Owl pair visit nest again – https://youtu.be/dIVtWvOgUeU?si=a4hQDlA3jAIypv60. We’re getting a lot of questions about owls since we shared an explore.org reel of a GHO at the North Nest. Great Horned Owls, Barred Owls, and Eastern Screech Owls live here year-round. Their presence is not unusual, especially now, when they are calling, defending territories, and preparing for their own breeding season. More here: https://www.raptorresource.org/2026/01/06/owls-strigiformes/

01/03/2026

Your 2026 Raptor Resource Project Calendars are here!

RRP Director John Howe designed our 2026 Decorah North, Trempealeau, Flyway, and Great Spirit Bluff calendars with images that capture the ongoing stories of the eagles and falcons we watch. All proceeds support The Raptor Resource Project’s mission to protect raptors, share their lives through our cameras, and educate the public about these remarkable birds.

Link: https://tinyurl.com/3suffxst

Looking for more merchandise? Visit our store! https://www.raptorresource.org/support-the-raptor-resource-project/merchandise/. Our calendars, apparel, mugs, blankets, ornaments, and cards are inspired by the lives of the eagles and falcons we follow through the seasons. Each piece celebrates moments of triumph, resilience, and connection.

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