D27 on the Move

Raptor Resource Project

11 hrs ·

D27 started her spring migration on May 20, leaving a spot on the Upper Iowa river roughly 10 miles northeast of her natal nest and flying north! Between May 20 and the afternoon of June 4, she flew an incredible 683 miles northwest, ending up in northwestern Ontario, not far from last year's summer range. Her longest continuous flight took place on June 3rd, when she flew 135.9 miles in 20.97 hours, yielding an average speed of 6.4 miles per hour. She also achieved her fastest flight during this time, averaging 33.93 miles per hour between 12:19 PM and 18:19 PM. Her big day was aided by clear skies and favorable winds out of the south!

She appears to have reached her summer range, but she could still have some surprises in store for us! Will she leave as early as she did last year? Will forest fires once again push her south? Her route north was later but a little more direct than it was last year. Will that hold true when she returns? The more we watch her, the more questions we have. Thanks for the postcard, D27! We wish you the best of luck in the north!
To follow the travels of all of the eagles we've tracked, visit our website at https://www.raptorresource.org/learning-tools/eagle-map/. A thousand thanks to Brett Mandernack and the staff of Eagle Valley for sharing their data, maps, knowledge, and expertise with us!