Decorah Mom

DEC Mom has a irritated eye

Raptor Resource Project

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We know that everyone has some concerns about Mom's right eye. We first started getting questions on January 20, when sharp-eyed watchers noticed that she appeared to be keeping her right eye mostly or completely shut. We took a look and noticed the same thing, but couldn't determine the source of the problem. Her eye wasn't bloody and she was behaving like a normal territorial adult eagle. She got some rabbit fur stuck in the upper outer corner of her right eye on January 14 and appeared to have ice building up on her 'eyelashes' or rimal bristles, which could have contributed to her eye irritation.

Our camera operators finally got an opportunity to get good photos of Mom's open right eye today and we sent them to Dr. Laura. She confirmed that there was some kind of issue, although she doesn't have a way of diagnosing it or determining its severity without an exam. Whatever the cause, Mom's eye is clearly irritated and she's reacting in the same way we might: closing her outer eyelids, blinking her eye, and sometimes rubbing her head on her shoulder. Keeping her tender eye closed will aid in healing and help protect it from wind and cold, while her nictitating membrane will keep it moist and help swipe any material that may still be stuck.

Given that Mom is still behaving normally and spending her time at the tops of trees, there is nothing we can do. As the videos below shows, Mom is capable of using both eyes and can fly, land on the nest, hop-flap up to and perch on the Skywalk, and move materials around the nest. We'll continue to monitor her and collect reports from local observers while we wait to see what happens moving forward.