UPDATE FROM "SOAR"-Saving Our Avian Resources" 09.20.2019

The window was opened… the soft release has happened ~

Yes, D33, DN9, Allamakee, and Calmar have taken their “wild maiden flight.” If you watched the video with the post titled “Gaining flight strength” you saw much improvement in flight skills in each of these young eagles. These eagles showed Kay they were ready… so back to the 20 x 60’ flight pen with the soft-release window.

On 18 September 2019, trail cameras and the GoPro were turned on in hopes of getting their leaving on video, the window was opened… Kay reported that an osprey flew overhead as everything was getting set. For many of us, an osprey flyover is good karma!

One by one these bald eagles “flew the coop” in a very short time. DN9 is the “ring leader” and it looks like they followed each other out… not wanting to get left behind. The timer on one trail camera indicates all left within 25 minutes of DN9 leaving. “They were ready,” Kay said.

In Kay’s years of raptor rehabilitation and soft-releasing falcons, hawks, osprey, barn owls, and bald eagles, she has witnessed birds leaving right away to some hanging back, a bit tentative on their departure. With that, she was conservative in her estimate on how long it would take for these four bald eagles to disperse.

Now that you’ve watched the video a time or three, raise your hand if you noticed that each is sporting new jewelry? Yes, these four bald eagles have an official USGS band. Years ago, Kay was a sub-permittee on a banding permit, so she and her husband have the experience of banding bald eagles. Kay talked with Brett Mandernack of Eagle Valley Nature Preserve as he has banded young bald eagles (including from the Decorah nest) as part of his research project looking at juvenile dispersal and travel behavior. Would Brett consider banding these four?

Obviously he said yes. But not without some contemplation and also checking with the banding lab to make sure it was allowable to band rehabilitated birds. Brett said initially he was interested in banding D33 and DN9, but when he realized that this group of four would be rehabilitating together, he thought banding all four eagles could lead to interesting information. Brett also said that he hopes to not have any band returns for about 25+ years so the next generation of eagle researchers will have that interesting information!

We understand that this news is a tad bittersweet as we no longer can share pictures and videos. Please be comforted by the fact that they are now living the eagle life they were destined to have.

So, your next burning questions are about D32. Will D32 be banded? The plan is to NOT band D32. Will D32 be released? That is our hope. But first, not only does D32 need time in the 100’ flight pen, the 20 x 60’ pen will be used to soft release some red-tailed hawks and then peregrine falcons (or vice versa). When D32 moves to a larger flight pen, we’ll try to get video then.

Thank you for the positive vibes and your support this "eagle summer.

Video Credit-SOAR (Facebook)


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