This is my first update from MinnDNR for this year. Things look good for another season on this nest.

January 13, 2015
They’re back . . .
The pair of eagles visiting the DNR eaglecam nest this year seems to be the same birds that saw two eaglets fledge and fly off last year. We were able to get a good view of the female’s leg-band, and it appears to be a match. As you may recall, these eagles laid their eggs during the first week of January in 2013. In 2014 eggs were laid in mid-February (starting on Valentine’s’ Day). We are seeing some activity in the nest, stick moving and sitting, but are hopeful that the recent cold temperatures (-15 F – actual air temp) will delay egg laying until later in February. Help us keep watch at http://www.webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/eagle.
Technical improvements
We have been having some problems with the stability of our signal feed from the camera, but our IT folks are working diligently to get these issues resolved before eggs are laid. The biggest changes include a new computer used to stream the feed, and a hard-wired internet connection via fiber optics (the camera currently uses a cellular air card). In addition to fixing the stability issues, we hope these improvements will allow us to provide a higher resolution view into the nest.
Keeping you updated
As eagle activity and technological improvements progress, we will start sending out more frequent GovDelivery updates, so keep an eye on your inbox. Also, be sure to check out our Nongame Wildlife Program Facebook page (You DO NOT need to have a Facebook account to view posts and photos).
The DNR eagle camera is paid for by the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program, which is almost completely funded by people like you who make a voluntary donation, usually at tax time. Look for the Loon on Line 20 of the Minnesota Income Tax form (if you do your own taxes), or tell your tax preparer that you want to contribute to the “Chickadee Checkoff.” Donations are tax deductible and matched dollar for dollar.
More information for tax preparers.
Donate anytime online at: www.mndnr.gov/nongame/donate
Thanks,
From all of us at the MNDNR EagleCam Team

These eagles are making the nest look "used". This is MNDNR's front page now.

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More than Used!!! It's an official nest for an official EGG!!

It's official! The people at MNDNR always say it so well.


You are subscribed to News - WebCam - Eagle Cam for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Happy New Year! What? That was weeks ago!? Well, we say Happy New Year because our famous pair of bald eagles has laid their first egg! We are very excited about this third season of camera documentation. As you might recall, the first year we placed the camera in the nest, it failed to produce any hatchlings and last year the pair successfully raised (almost) three chicks to fledging. So, let the season begin! The female will lay up to four eggs over the next few days, then incubation begins and will last ~ 63 days or so.
We are pretty sure we have seen one or maybe both of the chicks from last year visiting the nest over the summer. Because there are no identifying markers (such as bands) on the birds, we will never know for sure "who" the visitors are. We are relatively confident that the male is the same as the last two years and we do know that the female is the same - the band numbers match.
Being that March is the typical egg-laying month for Minnesota Eagles, our pair here is proving once again, that they are NOT typical! Earlier nesting in our climate means the parents must be much more diligent and consistent with their egg incubating duties. Any extended absence, particularly when the temperature is below zero will put the chicks in jeopardy. This is part of the reason we don't reveal the exact location of the nest.
The beginning of the eagle nesting season just happens to be at the beginning of tax time! Please remember the Nongame Wildlife Program (us) when filing your taxes. Also, if your preparer doesn't ask you, please let them know how important wildlife is to you! Any amount donated is helpful, so even if you cannot afford much, we would like to see the number of donors increase. Right now, only 2.3% of Minnesotans who file taxes donate to us. We are very grateful to the generous donors we do have, so help us spread the word and share this message! Online donations are still welcome all year: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/nongame/donate/index.html.
Thank you for subscribing to the eagle update and for your support of The Nongame Wildlife Program. It is time to start watching the camera!
________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us

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Eggie #2 arrived today!!


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And now there are 3. R4 updated me on eggie #3 today. It took a while to get this snippy. The bowl is deep, and she's sitting tight.

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Mrs DNR was more gracious with her egg show today.

I received a new update from MinnDNR today.

January 28, 2015 – Eggs and video upgrade
Eggs!
How ‘eggciting’, we now have three eagle eggs! As appears to be the norm for the DNR EagleCam nest, this pair has again laid their eggs earlier than we would have anticipated. In 2013, the pair laid during the first week of January. In 2014, the pair waited a little longer and started laying eggs on Valentine’s Day in mid-February. This year, the eggs were laid approximately as follows-
• #1 – Laid on the 19th or 20th of January
• #2 – Laid on the 22nd of January
• #3 – Laid on the 25th of January
Minnesota temperatures have been hovering above average, which will increase the chances of successful hatching. If all goes well, we should see the first egg pip around February 24th. Throughout February and March eagles all over Minnesota will be laying eggs and tending nests. This is a great time to get outside and watch eagles hunt and forage for food while they prepare for their new mouths to feed. Consider taking a walk outside and see if you can spot some eagles in action. Areas of open water along big rivers (such as the Mississippi) are great places to take a short walk to view eagles and much more! Bring some binoculars! More on wildlife viewing.
For more information on our MN weather, visit the DNR’s Current Conditions webpage – the nest is located in Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Video feed upgrade
As many of you are aware, we have been experiencing some technical challenges with the camera this year. We have already moved the feed over to a newer computer that is used to receive the feed from the camera before passing it along to our viewers. This has helped significantly, but video quality is lower than we would like, and occasional drops in the video feed do occur.
Our next step is to hardwire the feed into a newly installed high-speed internet cable. This wasn’t an option when the cam was first installed in Dec. of 2012. To work around this issue, we had to use cellular air cards to get the camera feed onto the internet. We are hopeful that tapping into this high-speed line will allow us to provide more stable, and hopefully higher quality, video to our viewers. The current plan is to switch the feed over on the evening of February 2nd, so you may notice a window of time when the cam is down that afternoon / evening.

A friendly reminder
The beginning of the eagle nesting season just happens to be at the beginning of tax time! Please remember the Nongame Wildlife Program (us) when filing your taxes. Also, if your preparer doesn't ask you, please let them know how important wildlife is to you! Any amount donated is helpful, so even if you cannot afford much, we would like to see the number of donors increase. Right now, only 2.3% of Minnesotans who file taxes donate to us. We are very grateful to the generous donors we do have, so help us spread the word and share this message! Online donations are still welcome all year to Minnesotans and beyond: donate.
Thank you for subscribing to the eagle cam update and for your support of the Nongame Wildlife Program. It is time to start watching the camera!

It looks like they're ready to go with higher quality video transmission. I'm anxious for a bette picture... how 'bout you? This is the FaceBook page with great pictures. https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNongameWildlifeProgram

February 2nd, 2015 – Internet Connection and Photos

Video feed upgrade
Reminder that we will be working to switch the video feed over to a hardwired internet connection this evening (Feb. 2). The feed may be down some of tonight and tomorrow as we set up the system on the new connection. Thank you for your patience during these improvements.
Photos
We were able to take a nice series of photos today, check them out on our Nongame Wildlife Program Facebook page (You DO NOT need to have a Facebook account to view posts and photos).
As always, your tax-time reminder…
The beginning of the eagle nesting season just happens to be at the beginning of tax time! Please remember the Nongame Wildlife Program (us) when filing your taxes. Also, if your preparer doesn't ask you, please let them know how important wildlife is to you! Any amount donated is helpful, so even if you cannot afford much, we would like to see the number of donors increase. Right now, only 2.3% of Minnesotans who file taxes donate to us. We are very grateful to the generous donors we do have, so help us spread the word and share this message! Online donations are still welcome all year to Minnesotans and beyond: donate.
Thank you for subscribing to the eagle cam update and for your support of the Nongame Wildlife Program. It is time to start watching the camera!

This is what it looks like today. I'll see what tomorrow brings.

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Sorry it's hard to tell if the picture is better or not with the new added snow. Anyway... it still holds a beautiful bald eagle on 3 eggs. That's what matters.

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More grass and pine cones have been brought to the nest. There is a closer view and the time and date are easy to see now.

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Here is the latest and greatest from the people at MNDNR

February 10th, 2015 – An update and some Q. & A.
Internet connection
On February 2, MN.IT Services staff seamlessly moved the EagleCam feed from a cellular internet connection to a hard-wired line. The cam was only down for a couple minutes to make the switch. On behalf of the EagleCam Team (and all our loyal viewers), we want to acknowledge and thank them!
The road ahead…
As many of you have seen, several tweaks to the streaming feed have been made, including several that have improved image quality and stabilization. That said, there are still a few kinks that we are aware of and are diligently working to resolve. Please be patient as we continue to improve video quality and size, and solve the mysterious glitch in the system that causes the feed to cut out.
A few recent questions:
Q. What do eagles eat this time of year and where do they get their food?
A. Fish are an important source of food for eagles, which is why they tend to congregate around open bodies of water this time of year (in chilly Minnesota this often means flowing water along large rivers). However, eagles are fairly opportunistic as well. Bald Eagles will readily scavenge road kill or other dead animals. They also take small mammals like squirrels and rabbits, as well as waterfowl.
Q. What kind of tree is the MNDNR EagleCam nest in?
A. An Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides).
Q. Do eagles like some trees better than others?
A. Bald Eagles choose the tops of large, tall trees for nest building, and they return year after year, adding to their massive stick nests. While they nest in many types of trees, they tend to prefer ones that protrude above the nearby canopy, providing good visibility and easy access. These nests can reach 10 feet across and weigh a ton! That’s about the size of a classic VW Beetle! Bald Eagles often have several nests within their territory, alternating among them over their reproductive years.
And lastly…
Q. Did you put those pine cones in the nest?
A. No. The eagles brought the pine cones into the nest recently, as well as several ‘loads’ of additional grass.


Winter Eagle Tip: There are many great places to view Bald Eagles and other birds during the winter. Here are just a few of the many areas worth exploring! http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/eagles/winter.html

Thank you for subscribing to the EagleCam Updates, and for your donations & support of the Nongame Wildlife Program.

With light snow and about 20F the eagles are sitting for a long time. I was able to catch the moment when it was time to roll the eggs. These eagles are into week 3 of incubation. Good luck Minn Eagles.

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This was another calm day of incubation.

Here's a new update from MinnDNR that includes information about incubating eggs in sub-zero temps.

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February 20, 2015 - Brr… EagleCam Update and Q. & A.
The cold…
It has been a frigid week here in Minnesota, with low temperatures well below zero (0 F / -17 C) in the Twin Cities. There does look to be a slight warmup for today (Feb. 20), but there are a few more frigid mornings in the 10 day forecast. This brings us to our first Q & A:
Q. How do eagles keep their eggs warm in these temperatures?
A. Bald Eagles have a body temperature of approximately 106F (41 C) as well as a feathers that provide them with insulation. In addition, both the male and female eagles form a brood patch (a mostly featherless area of exposed skin), which mostly surrounds the eggs with feathers and helps their eggs to keep warm by coming into direct contact with the adult’s body during incubation.
Q. Is the nest going to fail because of the cold?
A. Both parents have been very attentive, so we will have to wait to see. If the eggs are fertile when laid, they will be producing some heat themselves at this point in development which will increase their chances. If all goes well, the first egg could pip as early as Feb. 23-24.
Q. Can we provide food or additional nest materials to help?
A. Neither food nor nesting material are in short supply near the nest. The adults know best, and have been bringing up additional grasses recently.
Continued technological challenges
Despite our improvement to the network, we are continuing to experience issues with the live streaming feed. We are continuing to troubleshoot our system, and are still hopeful that we can increase the feed’s quality and stability. Please be patient as we continue to improve video quality and size, and solve the mysterious glitch in the system that causes the feed to cut out.
Please continue to let us know when the main feed goes down via Facebook. Also please note that you can usually watch the mobile feed on your computer during these times.
Doing your taxes this weekend?
By now most folks have received the paperwork necessary to file their taxes. Please remember the Nongame Wildlife Program (us) when filing your taxes this year. Unlike most other state programs, the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program does not receive funding from income or sales taxes, nor do we receive funds from the sale of fishing and hunting licenses! Approximately 80% of our funding comes from donations made on MN state tax forms from donors like you. The other 20% of our funding comes from competitive conservation and research grants. Unfortunately, only 2.3% of Minnesotans who file taxes donate to us. We would really like to see this donation rate increase for the 2014 tax year so please consider contributing at any level. Whether the amount is $0.50 or $5,000 or more, every donation is helpful and appreciated.
We (and MN wildlife) are forever grateful to the generous donors we do have, so help us spread the word and share our message! Online donations are still welcome all year to Minnesotans and beyond: donate.
________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us

I believe there's been some cam improvement!! With the eggs due to hatch within a week, we'll be able to see the hatchlings much better now!!

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Right on time!! Looks like there's a PIP!! https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaNongameWildlifeProgram Check out the pic on their Facebook page.

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The cam is so clear now.

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February 25, 2015 – First eaglet has pipped! Plus Q & A
Eagle eggs are hatching!
By now most followers have probably heard that the first eaglet pipped yesterday, Feb. 24 – right on schedule! The adults laid their eggs about a month earlier than last year, and experienced many days of subzero temperatures. Despite this, the adults have done an excellent job keeping the eggs warm, and it appears to be paying off. If you missed the pipping yesterday, several great photos and videos were captured that can be viewed on our Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program Facebook Page (you DO NOT need a Facebook account to view these images).
The main EagleCam feed can be viewed at: mndnr.gov/eaglecam We also have a mobile website for users who prefer to watch via smartphones and tablets: http://www.webcams.dnr.state.mn.us/eagle/mobile.html
Upgraded technology
On Monday MN.IT Services moved the streaming video feed to a new computer, and streamlined post-processing required before sending the video feed out publicly. This has resulted in a significant increase in video quality, which hopefully folks are noting first-hand. We are hoping these changes help our stability issues, but only time will tell.
We do have a few more modification in the works to improve the viewing experience. Hopefully we will see many of these implemented in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
More Q & A
Q: What does “pip” mean?
A: Pip is the term used to describe the first crack and hole in the egg created by the eaglet as it tries to hatch. After pipping, an eaglet may remain in the egg for a day or two before emerging completely.
Q: How do eaglets know when to hatch?
A: Just like chicken eggs, eagle eggs have yolk that feed the developing embryo. The egg contains just enough nutrients to allow the embryo to develop into a young eaglet that is strong enough to escape the egg, survive a few days outside the egg without feeding, and take solid food from the parents. Do not be concerned if you do not see a recently emerged eaglet being fed right away.
Q: Is it too cold for the eaglets?
A: Minnesota’s wildlife are tough critters and are adapted to survive Minnesota’s frigid cold and sweltering heat. There are many challenges ahead for these eaglets, including extreme weather, but these adults have shown complete dedication to their offspring.
Q: I saw a dead bird in the nest, did one of the eaglets die already?
A: We have no reason to think the first eaglet has perished. The adults have brought a couple pigeons into the nest, including one that is within the nest bowl, and we suspect people are mistaking these prey items for the eaglet.
Q: Is DNR planning to name the eagles?
A: Because these eagles are wild animals and because the Nongame Wildlife Program is a scientific agency, we want to focus on observing natural behavior, and avoid emotional attachment to these wild animals. Therefore, we do not feel it is appropriate to give them names.
Q: Do all eagles that hatch survive to fledging?
A: Estimates of fledging success vary for a wide variety of reasons, but in general nests experience some eaglet mortality before fledging.
Q: How can I help eagles?
A: There are many ways to help eagles in Minnesota and beyond. Donating to the Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program is one way. Also using and encouraging others to switch to non-lead ammunition and fishing tackle.
Thanks again for watching and the donations received so far. Here’s to a successful year American’s National Bird.

________________________________________

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
info.dnr@state.mn.us