Several mods mentioned ‘firsts’: first pip, first hatch, and first feeding. A few favorite firsts from 2016.
- First feeding for D24: Mom Feeds D24 Sweetest Thing: https://youtu.be/hOdii7wjh_s
It is reassuring and sweet to see an eaglet’s first feeding. - First pip for D25: D24 & D25 pip with beak moving - super close macro zoom: https://youtu.be/lPjOHCLa4hA. A feeding for D24, one of our first glimpses of D25, cute vocalizations (I can’t help but think of baby talk), and birdsong everywhere.
- First glimpse of D25’s face: https://youtu.be/N49xo52cPOU. Does this video also show D24’s first PS? Wonderful if brief views of D25’s tiny talons and face, down still wet from hatching, and D24 gobbling down sucker roe!
Poopshoots remain a perennial favorite among mods and watchers alike. Two poopshoot moments really stood out for a few moderators…
- D24's poop shoot backsplash: https://youtu.be/cO3-m7kSzAI
- A good reminder that one person’s tear-their-hair-out moment makes another person’s day! Remember when D25 scored a direct lens hit with a wind assisted PS? I sure do! https://youtu.be/xfisKt1hDAQ
There were a lot of miscellaneous favorites – cute, interesting, or fun glimpses of daily life at N2B!
- D25 got tangled in Mom’s pantaloons and was pulled out of the nest cup. He eventually made his way back to the comfort of her feathers: https://youtu.be/RF5o9UbNd0w
- Who put the kettle on? Mom, of course! https://youtu.be/O-zkkqz5q88.
- From Robin comes this question: Who wouldn’t like a grass clubhouse? Mom buries D25 completely under grass: https://youtu.be/jb8bIZQCMRI
- That point in the eaglets’ lives when they discover the camera: https://youtu.be/wIMcGMS3sEQ #selfie
- A favorite of mine – after a long perching session over the cornfield, D25 flies off. At least some of us weren’t ready for fledge yet! https://youtu.be/WNSTXx8sQzo
We all missed D24 and D25 after they left N2B. But the cameras at N1 and Robin Brumm’s videos gave us a glimpse of their post-fledgling lives.
- D24 and D25 belting it out with Mom on the maple tree: https://youtu.be/1fnTNw4U1MM
- D25 investigates the N1 nest hole: https://youtu.be/BSYkuM0NAO4
All of the mods mentioned followers, classrooms, and/or people at After the Fledge. They loved the chance to interact with classrooms, our guest moderators from teamcarnes’ class, the daily chats with followers, meeting and hanging out with eagle friends and family at ATF, and getting a chance to see Ambassador in Training Decorah (widely believed to be D20 from 2014): https://youtu.be/NZELDqr4OfQ
Judging from readership of blogs, your primary Decorah-related concerns in 2016 were:
- Will the last egg hatch?
- What happened to the last egg?
- Proposed 30-year take of bald and golden eagles
- Is N2B big enough?
Have a very happy new year and thanks for watching with us in 2016!
