This morning at 5:50AM, RRP Board Members Brett Mandernack (of Eagle Valley Nature Preserve) and David Lynch, and Carole Mandernack (from Eagle Valley Nature Preserve), Ryan Schmitz from Eagle Valley Nature Preserve) and Kolton Loeffelholz (of Eagle Valley Preserve), captured D36 for the purpose of applying a GPS tracking transmitter and leg band. D36 was found to be in great health and was determined to be a male (using measurements of the beak, tarsus, and hallux talon) with a weight of approximately 8 pounds. The capture process went very smoothly and D36 was released back at the Decorah Fish Hatchery at approximately 7:00AM and was observed flying well later in the morning.
D36 will now join the other Bald Eagles in the Eagle Valley Nature Preserve Bald Eagle migration and travel study that has been ongoing since 1999, providing valuable data that will help ensure the preservation of Bald Eagles within the Mississippi Valley flyway, and other areas. This study had been previously funded by Kohler/Eagle Valley Nature Preserve, but the funding expired on the original study in 2019. The RRP Board of Directors and staff then voted for RRP to further fund for the purpose of gathering more migrational data from birds with a known origin/natal nesting area.
D36 is my fav from this year. He came out spunky and remained so. He did not take anything off of the older ones. This is a surprise that he got banded as the last one was D27. I love him almost as much as D14 who will forever be my fav. FLy high and we look forward to those postcards you send home via your transmitter.
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