Raptor Resource Project

05/11/2026

Images from Great Spirit Bluff, Castle Rock, and Decorah. While banding season actually starts about a month prior to our first banding date, we'll be banding falcons in Muscatine Iowa on Friday, and at Great Spirit Bluff on Sunday. Elaine's nestlings will be 18 and 19 days old!

05/06/2026

Two eagles bore the scars of physical abuse—but a recent genomic study uncovered a deeper, hidden wound.

Read on to learn what this means for their future: 🔗https://bit.ly/3QPpp2B

05/05/2026

After the Fledge July 16-19 2026
when you arrive at the hatchery this is what you will probably see!

05/01/2026

Whether he's fighting off competitors, wooing mates, or tenderly caring for his young, our man Newman always looks fly. Steal his look to win a falcon's fiercely wild heart! guy

04/30/2026

I meant to post this Tuesday, but with the excitement of new hatchlings at Great Spirit Bluff, I didn't have a chance! Poptent HD does his very best to protect DH3 and DH4 from a cold April rain, but the dynamic duo are just a little too big to snuggle beneath his warm feathers. The two turn 33 and 31 days old today.

04/28/2026

Mom Elaine tenderly snuggles two hatchlings beneath her. The eggshell she's eating will help replace the calcium she took from her medullary bones to create her eggs.

04/24/2026

Happy Falcon Friday! Has hatch started at Great Spirit Bluff? Look for a small mark towards the blunt end of the center left egg. I love Elaine's soft chirp and contented look as she snuggles them beneath her. Enjoy Elaine's peaceful dozing now...Great Spirit Bluff is about to get busy.

Peregrines start full incubation after they lay their penultimate egg and most peregrines lay four egg clutches, so we usually set hatch date 33 days after egg number three. Elaine laid her third egg 32 days ago.

Curious about what makes such normally busy birds sit on eggs 24x7? This blog on incubation in bald eagles also applies to peregrine falcons:
https://www.raptorresource.org/2026/03/09/what-makes-bald-eagles-incubate-2/

04/23/2026

An update on the eagle that David Kester picked up in Freeport!

~ Freeport Bald Eagle Rescue ~

Many of you have probably seen this post from Raptor Resource Project about Dave K's swimming rescue of a Bald Eagle near Freeport, Iowa, in Winneshiek County: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18K1L6jh51/

Here's an update from SOAR on Freeport:

This eagle is a 7.4 lb male that is extremely emaciated. SOAR uses beak depth measurement to confirm s*x - a 3.25 cm beak depth measurement is definitely a boy. We're betting he'll be a 8 to 9 lb boy when he gets back to full weight. Read more about beak depth measurement: https://soarraptors.org/2026/04/determining-s*x-in-bald-eagles/

This eagle's Blood Lead Level is 0.144 ppm, so this bird has a lower level exposure.

As seen in the video from Dave K, this eagle is a great eater! And what we also like to see is that this eagle is pooping... :)!

The left elbow joint is swollen, but is functioning and does not feel dislocated. The eagle is on antibiotics for swelling and for the minor cut at the elbow area.

From here, the Bald Eagle will remain in a crate in SOAR's intensive care area to limit movement, receive medicine, and monitor food intake and output.

Many thanks to Dave K for rescuing, the nearby landowners for keeping an eye on this eagle, and to both Winneshiek and Chickasaw County Conservation for helping with transport to a SOAR volunteer.

If you would like to help support the rehabilitation of this Bald Eagle and other patients at SOAR, please see this pinned post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B6sYhdbNE/

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day, everyone! We were racking our brains for an Earth Day post when RRP Director John Howe came up with one after watching the video below. "I see two different species telling you to hunt and fish lead-free. It's better for the Earth, it's better for Bald Eagles, and it's better for you and your family." So we're keeping it simple this Earth Day.

1. Save wild lives and protect your health by hunting and fishing lead-free.
2. Join a Friends group, a County Conservation Board, a sustainable gardening organization, or something in your area that speaks to you. We're stronger and more hopeful when we act together.

As one of our partners said: "Anybody can be a conservationist - you don't need to own land to protect and cherish it. There are endless ways to act, and you can act anywhere." Your voice, your hands, and your care can all make a difference.

Happy Earth Day from all of us to all of you! If you'd like to know more about Bald Eagle conservation and recovery, follow the link! https://www.raptorresource.org/2026/04/22/bald-eagle-conservation-and-recovery-in-the-united-states/

04/20/2026

Join us with Biologist Mike Fitz for a live play-by-play tomorrow at 4pm central daylight/nest time! Link here: https://www.youtube.com/live/duq1akoiByY

Curious about DH3 and DH4? The dynamic duo turned 24 and 22 days old today and we published a blog on their third week of life! https://www.raptorresource.org/2026/04/20/eaglet-growth-and-development-week-three-2/

Most of the Peregrine Falcons we watch have completed egg laying and Great Spirit Bluff will probably hatch on or around April 26. Hatchling peregrines go through the same process that eaglets do, so watch and listen for Elaine and Newman's soft chirping, especially after external pip: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/gsb-falcons/

The Marshall MO turkey vultures just laid their second egg! Turkey vultures prefer it dark, which means that this cam is often in monochrome. But we sometimes get enough sun during the morning to see their beautiful creamy white eggs splotched with red at the base. Watch them here: https://www.raptorresource.org/birdcams/missouri-turkey-vultures/

04/20/2026

After the Fledge July 16-19 2026 Food is always Great in Decorah