Every parent needs a nap

I was checking the DNR St. Paul eagle cam last week and captured this image of one of the parents getting a nap in while the kids were looking around the nest.

Another eagle story from Sunday. I was walking around Lake Calhoun when a bald eagle was attempting to grab a duck from a flock that was on the lake. The eagle was using a very strong wind to hover over the panicking ducks.

The ducks broke into two groups but everyone stayed on the water. Not a single duck took flight which would have resulted in capture. The bald eagle made several attempts often having to fly up and circle around for another attempt.

Several people on the path stopped to watch this incredible feat of eagle aerial acrobatics and duck flock safety.

Bald Eagle cam 2016

The bald eagle pair in St. Paul have returned and already have one egg. The DNR is expecting more eggs to be laid. Last year the pair had three chicks if I recall correctly. You can follow along at the DNR birdcam website.

Here is the update from the DNR for the start of the 2016 nesting season:

News for 2016

This is the fourth year DNR’s Nongame program has streamed live video from a bald eagle nest. The pair, which has used this spot for many years, has started to visit the nest after a few months absence. Last year the first egg was laid on the 19th or 20th of January, with all three being laid by the 25th of January. Eagles typically incubate their eggs for about 35 days. Although the nest has at times looked chilly, even covered in a blanket of snow for a while, Bald Eagles in Minnesota have adapted to laying and caring for eggs in these conditions. The male and female take turns keeping their eggs warm and dry in a deep pocket in the middle of the nest. Please check back often to see how the nest is doing, observe interesting behaviors such as parents switching off incubation duties, feeding, and protecting the eggs from the elements.

The mosquito and the bald eagle

This could be a child's fable or nature battle. It is neither. Walking downtown this evening to catch my bus home, a mosquito lands on my hand. It was an easy kill. But really? A mosquito? It is early April. We DO NOT need a mosquito.

And now the eagle. Running around Lake Calhoun, I see a girl with her camera phone. I look where she is looking and there is a bald eagle not 10 feet away in a small tree right next to the path and the lake. Amazing.

Two very Minnesota things...a mosquito and a bald eagle.