May 30, 2018
Decorah North eagle babies
The day after I published this video, the eaglets died after being attacked by black flies. Raptor Resource Project: "We are sorry to announce that both eaglets at the Decorah North nest died yesterday... Why did the eaglets die? As we learned last year at Great Spirit Bluff, blackflies carry a pathogen that overwhelms the immune systems of young birds. Today's blackfly strike, combined with the extreme heat and humidity, was more than the eaglets could take."
May 25, 2018
May 21, 2018
May 14, 2018
Black flies can kill young birds
In late spring and early summer, black flies emerge from rivers and make life miserable for man, beasts and birds. Females sucks out our blood and leave painful welts. Here in Wisconsin, I've seen them invade the nests of eagles, whooping cranes and peregrine falcons. To avoid the flies, nest babies sometimes jump out like the poor souls in the World Trade Center.