It's been a tough two weeks for the Decorah bald eagles

Raptor Resource Project Director Bob Anderson (second from left) rescues D20 from a stream (Photo courtesy of Raptor Resource Project)

This has been an eventful fledging for the three newest Decorah bald eagles.

The fledge started on Monday, June 16th, but ran into problems almost immediately.  "The birds were just perpetually twitching," Raptor Resource Project Director Bob Anderson told KWWL News.  "I mean, I would have gone mad, I would have gone absolutely insane, and I think a lot of birds did. It might have even delayed their development a little bit because they were just so compromised, so stressed out."

All three eaglets left the nest when the fledge started--and couldn't be spotted by volunteers.  Eagle "D18" was gone the longest--until he was seen again on a mulch pile at the Decorah Yard Waste Site.  Anderson has also spotted the eaglet a little over one mile from the nest and says D18 appears to be in good condition.

Eagle "D19" had a little more excitement.  The Decorah Police Department called Anderson to let him know an eaglet was in the middle of Trout Run Road.  Anderson caught D19 following quite a chase through a nearby woods, then took D19 home with him.  The eaglet was released a few days later and has now rejoined its parents.

The youngest of this year's three eaglets, "D20," has had a tough time.  Anderson rescued the eaglet after it was found downed on some rocks in the stream near the nest.  He waded through the stream and was able to capture the eaglet, which had a broken wing.

D20 was taken to SOAR ("Save Our Avian Raptors"), where X-rays showed an oblique humerus fracture about an inch from the shoulder joint. A veterinarian will do surgery on D20 on Friday or Saturday, pinning the wing.  The eaglet at SOAR will have his wing immobilized for 3-4 weeks to heal. After that, he'll spend another 2-4 weeks in ICU with limited movement, and then he'll be moved to the flight pens for exercise and muscle training.