"Not yet tamed by man, it refreshes him"

The bald eagles of Decorah, Iowa, have landed and won the hearts and minds of a grateful nation. We've had the RaptorResource UStream live cam on the desktop since yesterday afternoon. There were three eggs in the nest last night, then two eggs, one shattered shell and a brand new eaglet (see below) early morning.

So glad Ben Franklin lost out on this one. You may recall the First among equals of the Founding Fathers had lobbied for our native Wild Turkey, lord of the Thanksgiving groaning board, to represent the Shining City Upon a Hill as the National Bird.

Mom and dad take turns roosting and hunting … Dramatic when one or the other flies in … Wonder which task is more strenuous, tending the nest with its high winds and egg-tooth deliveries or flying off in search of protein to restock the family larder? Either way, they're traveling the road, sharing their load. Stacy McCain and Little Miss Attila of DaTechGuy on DaRadio's feminist-rhetoric face-off fame, take note.

Light of their lives, the first little wobbly chick arrived overnight. At a time like this, our favorite Henry Thoreau quote always comes to mind:

The most alive is the wildest. Not yet subdued to man, its presence refreshes him.

Be prepared, oh animal lovers, for brutally butchered carcasses of cute and fuzzy creatures that will break your heart. What appears to be a wild rabbit above, lower left.

Parents peck away at the innards of the prey and then regurgitate from beak to beak in a timeless ritual bonding. Life goes on.

We didn't want to go there, but this bit of prey has all the earmarks of the family cat. Talk about red in tooth and claw.

Update: Paul B in the comments points us to live action via the Eagle Cam of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, where a local nesting pair dined recently on duck:

While fish provides the bulk of a bald eagle’s diet, they are opportunistic and will take advantage of many different food sources.

Crossposted at Riehl World View and Liberty Pundits.

Comments

[Paul B]

Great post!
Down in here in the coastal flat lands of Tidewater Virginia, we have a pair nesting at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. 3 eggs and 2 eaglets this year! The first link is the live cam, it's down this morning. The other is from the VA Fish and game.
Enjoy!

http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

http://eaglecam.tumblr.com/

[Prudence]

fantastic shots. (i can't get ustream to work on my computers, so thanks for the stills.)

there's an eagles' nest about 300 yards from my house, but no one has yet been brave enough to climb the tree to take pics, let alone wire it for internet.

i'll just pretend those are my eagles---though they'll have to fend for themselves, as my old, indoor cat has never had the taste of mouse. (a chameleon that once made it inside when a door was left open too long managed to escape alive, though missing his tail. it must not have been too tasty.)

[Paul]

The eaglecam is up and running. Warning, it is very windy here in SE Virginia, so you may get a little woozy watching this.
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

[Tony Gambaro]

I have a nesting pair of Eagles in my backyard on Saratoga Lake NY. Here's a link to view the pic's