News and Blogs

July 10, 2025: TE3 Fledges!

July 10, 2025: TE3 explores the camera!

TE3 fledged this morning at 7:02 AM nest time when she made a short flight from the nest tree to the cam tree next door! It was just what we like to picture when we picture a fledge: a lovely, controlled flight, a good landing, and a quick flight back to her nest. She spent the day exploring, flying, branching, and discovering her wonderful wings. So that’s what these things are for! A hat tip to everyone yesterday that suggested

It TE3 a Male or a Female?

July 9, 2025: Look at that beak!

Fans are asking whether TE3 is a boy or a girl. Of course we can’t really know without measurements and/or a feather test. But since (almost) everyone has an opinion, we wanted to talk about ours. TE3 turned 89 days old today and we’re starting to wonder if she – break out the pink trout! – will ever fledge. Here’s why we think she’s a she… Size Matters! Females are larger than males. Although it can be hard to determine

July 7, 2025: NestFlix and News from around the nests!

July 7, 2025: The wild blue yonder is calling!

Hi all! We’re (mostly) back from banding falcons. Next up: ATF! https://www.raptorresource.org/2025-after-the-fledge/ Our banding work starts with surveys that begin in late February or early March. Things really ramp up in early May as we begin spending hours in the field. Are sites active? Are parents out of full brooding/early incubation? Are we seeing and hearing nestling falcons? Who are the adults? Are they the same adults as last year? We begin banding in mid-May and we are on the

Happy Independence Day!

Celebrating the 4th of July: https://www.raptorresource.org/2021/07/04/happy-4th-of-july/

On July 4th of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was ratified by Congress. We remember and celebrate that day today. From every mountaintop, river bottom, prairie vista, city park, rooftop, picnic, suburb, garden, balcony, from every cliff, from every phone, from every computer, from where ever you are watching, learning, caring, and sharing, let freedom ring! The bald eagle’s role as a national symbol is linked to its 1782 landing on the Great Seal of the United States. The First

Banding Falcons at GSB: Your Questions, Answered!

May 31, 2025: Announcing...the class of 2025!

We had a great time banding falcons at Great Spirit Bluff on Saturday! We rappelled down, brought the nestlings up to the top of the bluff, quickly banded them, cleaned the nest box – there were enough feathers for a down pillow! – cleaned the camera, and returned the falcons. The entire process took about half an hour and the weather could not have been better. Dana, Caden, Madi, and Hallie were all healthy, well-fed, feisty, footy, and free of

Thank you for supporting the Raptor Resource Project!

May 6, 2025: TE3 at 25 days of age

Thank you so much for supporting the Raptor Resource Project’s Hatch Fundraiser! Because of your generosity, we raised over $12,000 to support the tools and programs that connect people to raptors, including our live-streaming nest cams, migration tracking, education outreach, and in-depth research. Your gift helps us watch, learn from, and protect these extraordinary birds. We’re so grateful to have you with us in this work, and we hope you enjoy this video of TE3 at 25 days of age!

What are feathers? What is molt?

Feather Follicle

Eaglets go through two molts and three feather stages in the nest: natal down (and molt), followed by thermal down (and molt), followed by juvenile feathers. As of this blog, TE3 is shedding the very last of its natal down and its thermal down is rapidly being replaced by juvenile down and feathers. We thought we would blog a little more about feathers to celebrate!  When we think about feathers, we tend to think about their qualities (light, soft, fluffy,

Eaglet Growth and Development: Week Three

April 26, 2025: Sweet eagle dreams, TE3!

We’re writing a series of blogs about the first few weeks of an eaglet’s life. An eaglet spends roughly 75 to 80 days in the nest. For about the first half, it grows and gains weight. For about the second half, it grows flight feathers and starts developing the skills it will need post-fledge. We will focus on week three in this blog. TE3 turned 20 days old today. During week two (seven to 14 days), its footpads and talons

Announcing: RRP’s Hatch Fundraiser!

April 27, 2025: A tender moment between DNF and TE3

Please join us for our hatch fundraiser on Friday, May 2. From streaming live cams to tracking migrations and studying eagle behavior, your donations drive the work that helps us understand and protect these remarkable birds. If you value our research, education, and conservation efforts, please consider making a gift tomorrow! Contribute here: https://www.raptorresource.org/support-the-raptor-resource-project/make-a-donation/. Feel like celebrating with someone? We are celebrating with special chats on our website from 9 to 11 am, 1 to 2 pm, and 5 to

What Makes Bald Eagles Incubate?

February 21, 2022: North Nestoration Follies!

We wrote this blog to describe events at the North Nest back in 2023, when Mr. North and DNF were coping with a lot of intruders. Instead of perching near the nest, packing in food, and developing the reserves she needed to lay eggs, DNF guarded her nest, egg, and mate from potential rivals. After egg number one, her testosterone and progesterone should rapidly decrease, while prolactin, a hormone that induces incubation and brood patch swelling, should rapidly increase. But intruder-related

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