Poor bird

Last year I made a post (http://ahjones2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/decorah-eagles.html) about the Decorah Eagle family in Decorah, Iowa.  With donations from the public and other organizations they were able to install some cameras near their annual nesting spot so that we, the public could catch a glimpse of how they live.  I remember my Mom telling me about it and she got me hooked on watching them as often as I could.  The cameras were on 24/7 so you could see mama eagle lay the eggs and her and dad would take turns keeping them warm.  Eventually the three eggs hatched and we got to see them grow and mature.  It was AMAZING.  This year I remember keeping a close eye on them again, I unfortunately started late, so I didn't see the actually egg laying, but I did catch the hatching.

 

BUT on Yahoo Friday, I saw that one of the recent fledglings was found electrocuted :(

 

This is from www.northiowatoday.com

 

 

 

 

The first eagle hatched this year from the famous Decorah eagle nest was found dead this weekend.  It was at the base of a power pole near the nest in Decorah.

From the Raptor Resource Project regarding a monitored Decorah eagle named D12:

"We are very sorry to announce that D12 is dead. D12 was found electrocuted at the base of a power pole on a Sunday morning. We notified the power company, who modified the top of that pole on Sunday and several other poles in the area on Monday. As of this morning, they are continuing to identify and modify poles to make them raptor safe."  (PHOTO: "For those that have asked for a photo of D12, here is one from our Facebook album. We continue to remember how blessed we are with all the successes from the Decorah nest so far, and we will be thankful for all the future successes as well. This is the first known tragedy from the Decorah nest, and we thank all of you for your heartfelt thoughts on this loss." (Picture from the Raptor Resource Project Facebook page))

"Power lines themselves are not an electrocution hazard for birds (birds can and do sit on wires), but unshielded poles can be dangerous.  Again, we are very sorry to announce the death of D12. This pole and others like it in the area have been modified to prevent future electrocutions."