2015 Raptor Resource Project Banding report Ft. St. Vrain Eagles Page 24. Great photos included
This includes Wisconsin along with Minnesota and Iowa. Nice tribute to Bob Anderson"Fort St. Vrain
Bob and Rob installed the first camera here in 2003, so we’ve been watching this nest longer than the Decorah
Eagles and many of our falcons. The eagles at Fort St. Vrain are more similar in behavior to the eagles in Decorah
than the eagles at Eagle Valley. Both adults worked on the nest. The male brought in food while the female
incubated and both parents hunted and fed young. A variety of food was brought in on a fairly regular basis,
food was stored in the nest, and one of the parents was usually present while the eaglets were young. Despite
the excellent care provided by both parents, only one eaglet survived to fledge. We don’t know why two died
although, given their age, hypothermia could have played a role. Colorado’s Front Range is susceptible to heavy,
wet, late-winter snow.
On a recent trip to Colorado, Bill H., the plant contact for the Fort St. Vrain eagles, took us to visit the nest. I’ve
included a photo from that trip to show everyone how large it is. He also pointed out that a nearby colony of
prairie dogs which were moved or drowned out by flooding had returned. An eagle gave us proof of that by
showing up with a prairie dog in its talons! This seems like a very good sign for next year’s nesting season. Fort
St. Vrainers will be happy to know we are looking at upgrades to the camera next year (late summer of 2016).
This site provides some unique challenges, but we are working with Xcel Energy to improve the view.
Personally, I find myself completely captivated by just how different the environment is when compared to
Decorah and Eagle Valley, and I am really looking forward to the 2016 season. "