Nest Cam Spotlight: Baby Eagles in Iowa

Two words: baby eagles. Two more words: nest cam. How can anyone resist? Thanks to the Raptor Resource Project, you can watch the antics of a few, er, fuzzbald eagles in their nest in Decorah, Iowa, from the comfort of your computer. Even when snacking on bloody carrion, the young raptors are adorable. (I’ve been sitting here, mesmerized, for several minutes now.)

Built by a bald eagle pair that's been together since late 2007, the nest perches 80 feet up a cottonwood tree "located on private property, near the Decorah Fish Hatchery (operated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources), on the banks of the babbling waters of Trout Run in extreme northeast Iowa," according to the website that streams the camera feed. The avian pair's first eaglet of 2011 broke out of its shell a few days ago, on April 2; the Raptor Resource Project put some clips together so you can relive the experience here. The newbie's sibling wasn’t long to follow, joining the family on April 3. If you’re lucky, you might just witness the third birthday (hatchday?)—eaglet #3's debut should occur within a few days.

Wildlife cams seem to be everywhere (take a look at some others that we’ve blogged about), but as my colleague and avid birder Heidi DeVos put it in an email to me, “This is a pretty amazing bird cam—smooth action, and lots of sound. I'm watching it now in what must be a windy day in Iowa, and I can really hear the wind rushing around. Very different from most bird nest cams!” What do you think?