A pair of bald eagles joined the Alcoa Davenport community in Iowa in 2009. They built their 7-foot nest on our 400-acre facility in a tree near the Mississippi River. In the spring of 2010 they fledged a pair of eaglets and later that year we installed our first Eaglecam. Employees and the community helped name the eagle pair Liberty and Justice. In April 2011, an online poll named the single eaglet they fledged that year “Freedom”. In 2012, they fledged three eaglets that were named Faith, Hope and Spirit by online voting.
During 2012, more than 12 million visitors from across the globe have tuned in to witness an American icon, the bald eagle, developing live within this unique eco-system. In the fall and winter the eagles use the nest to eat and prepare the nest for the next season. Eagles nesting in Iowa typically lay eggs in late February and the eggs hatch in late March. The eaglets grow quickly and are ready to fly “fledge” in late May or early June. Alcoa is proud that our unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability is helping conserve our precious natural resources.
Alcoa has partnered with the Bettendorf, Iowa, school district to create learning modules for students. If you are an educator interested in connecting education to the Bald Eagle, click here. We have also worked with a local vendor to create some t-shirts and other items related to the Alcoa EagleCam. A portion of each sale will go to local charity. If you are interested, click here to check out those items.
Saturday, June 15, 2013Expanding Their Horizons
  In just a week since fledging Honor and Glory are doing a great job of getting out and about to see a little more of the world around them. Below are a few pictures from yesterday. One parent flying by to check on the kids and a few shots of the kids. Including one perched on a dead stump near the river with a pelican cruizing by in the background.

 
Posted at 3:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments(133) | TrackbackSunday, June 09, 2013Successful Fledge Today
From what we can see it appears both Honor and Glory fledged today. Below are a couple of pictures from late this afternoon at the nest. One of the eaglets was still on a branch near the nest as one of the parents droped in on a branch above. The other was actually sitting on the peak of the roof of the building below the nest. Even though we have not seen him back up on the nest this afternoon it seems he may just be relishing his new ability to explore. The typical pattern for the past few years is for the eaglets to stick around the nest and the tree for another six weeks or so as they learn to fly and hunt.
 
Posted at 10:24:01 PM | Permalink | Comments(178) | TrackbackFriday, June 07, 2013Further and Further
Honor and Glory are getting further and further out on the limbs around the nest this week. It won't be much longer until they take that next step, to actually fly from this tree to another or the ground and back up to the nest. I would expect to see them around for at least the next 6-8 weeks before they head out on there own. One of the new pictures from today shows mom or dad in the nest looking like they are encouraging them to take that next step!
 
Posted at 2:34:19 PM | Permalink | Comments(93) | TrackbackThursday, May 30, 2013Ready for Liftoff
Honor and Glory are really getting some good hang time above the nest the last few days. I have not seen them on any of the branches yet, but I have seen posts indicating they have been on the branch just below the old camera. Below are a couple of shots from yesterday of both of them in the nest, one parent on a branch above the nest and the other parent cruising nearby.
  
Posted at 1:06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments(191) | TrackbackFriday, May 24, 2013Memorial Day Weekend
Posted at 5:30:42 PM | Permalink | Comments(147) | TrackbackMonday, May 13, 2013A Look Around
Posted at 4:40:24 PM | Permalink | Comments(258) | TrackbackWednesday, May 01, 2013Good To Be Online
We seem to have stabilized our feed from the new camera to keep it from locking up on a freeze frame every so often. We are planning a little bit of downtime tomorrow (Thursday) morning to try to connect audio to the feed. Hopefully it will be quick and successful. Below is a shot of one of the parents from today watching Glory and Honor from a branch a little distance from the nest. Don't forget you can help charity and get a keepsake from this experience. Click the link above or go to www.qceaglecam.com to order t-shirts and more. A portion of each purchase goes to charity.

Posted at 6:08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments(201) | TrackbackMonday, April 29, 2013Back Online
We are finally back online from a different vantage point. Even though we will not be able to look down into the nest, we hope this view will let you see more activity around the nest. This will be especially interesting as our eaglets begin to move outside the nest. We don't have sound at the moment, but we hope to get that connected in the coming days.
Posted at 5:32:26 PM | Permalink | Comments(100) | TrackbackWednesday, April 24, 2013Water Receding
The good news is that the river is receding. It looks like it could still be a few days before we can get back down to the nest area to work on the video feed. We will keep you posted on progress. In the meantime below are a couple of pictures from earlier today. One parent flying, one parent keeping watch from a nearby branch and two little heads sticking up  above the top of the nest. Make sure you check out the Alcoa EagleCam merchandise link. In the next day or two look for new items available for this season. The link is above or you can click on www.qceaglecam.com

Posted at 2:29:35 PM | Permalink | Comments(42) | TrackbackMonday, April 22, 2013Alcoa Receives Award
Alcoa was recognized for the educational aspects of Alcoa EagleCam during an awards ceremony on Friday evening. River Action, a river advocacy group in Davenport, presents its annual "Eddy" awards in several categories each year. This year Alcoa EagleCam, and specifically the connection to a grant from Alcoa Foundation to the Bettendorf Schools to create online learning modules, was recognized with the award. Public Affairs Manager, John Riches and Davenport Works Director of Manufactuing, Rob Woodall, accepted the award from River Action Founder, Kathy Wine. Alcoa was nominated for the award by Jerry Neff, a member of the local chapter of the Sierra Club.

Posted at 10:30:12 AM | Permalink | Comments(37) | TrackbackFriday, April 19, 2013Flood Delays Our Fix
We have about a foot or so of water in the parking lot below the nest here at Alcoa. This building near the river is outside of the plant's normal flood protection. It is not unusual to get some spring flooding. What this does mean is we will not be able to install our other camera in an alternate location until the water goes back down. Right now that looks like it will be at least late next week. I will try to provide some updates over the next few days as the river forecast changes. Below are a couple of pictures taken today. We can clearly see one of the parents in the nest and the other shot gives you a sense of the visit we are getting from the Mississippi River.
 
Posted at 2:08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments(59) | TrackbackMonday, April 15, 2013Update on Camera
We have isolated the problem to the camera itself. After consulting with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service we understand and agree we will not be able to do any repair work to the current camera until after this nesting season.
We have come up with a plan to install a camera from a temporary location a distance from the nest. We are hoping to get that done in the next few days. Complicating that is the fact the Mississippi River is rising and the property with the nest is low-lying and will have some water rising over the next few days. We will post another update as soon as we have more information. Below are a couple of pictures taken last Thursday and Friday.
 
Posted at 11:23:01 AM | Permalink | Comments(85) | TrackbackWednesday, April 10, 2013Camera Update
As you can tell, the camera is still not working. It appears the lightning storm that rolled through the area early this morning has damaged the camera. We are working on a plan to re-establish the video feed in the next few days. As soon as we have finalized our plan I will be able to give you a more accurate timeframe.
While you are waiting for our feed to return, please visit the Alcoa OspreyCam in North Carolina. That web address is www.alcoa.com/ospreycam The eggs in the Osprey nest are due to hatch later this month.
Posted at 4:48:41 PM | Permalink | Comments(119) | TrackbackStill Working On It
Posted at 10:09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments(29) | TrackbackPower bumps
The nest is fine, but I have not been able to get the camera feed restored yet this morning. I am trying to get a couple of our electricians to check some of the systems I do not have access to myself. Hopefully we will be back up soon.
Posted at 9:08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments(22) | Trackback
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