Pilgramage

As a part of planning where I would go, at what airports I would land, I often let whimsy guide my hand.
Decorah was one such place. I needed to land in Iowa…where? All Spring I’d started my work morning by logging onto The Decorah Eagle Cam. I watched those baby eagles, worried about them, observed their interactions with each other and the parents. Would they survive the surprise Spring snow? Would the last to hatch (I called her #3) manage to get her share of food and not be destroyed by #1 and #2? It was a tough job, but I wasn’t alone..thousands watched, learned and marveled at nature. Without perspective, its hard to appreciate how big this nest is. 6-8 feet across, 4 feet deep. Many of those "twigs" are wrist sized.
Sometimes the keeper of the camera, would move its focus away from the nest and reveal surrounding countryside. Ah Clues! I soon had a clear picture of nest location with a little help from Google. Turned out that Decorah has an airport (DEH) and it offers a courtesy car. Decision made.

Leaving Indiana, my first stop is in Wisconsin, at Platteville (PVB) just a few miles east of the Mississippi River. Just as I finished filling up with cheapest fuel so far on this trip - $4.90 per gallon, I spotted a Jet taxiing up to the FBO, followed closely by an arriving helicopter – military Black Hawk. Oh, and then three unmarked police vehicles. Guys in suits climbed out of the jet. Guys in officer uniforms from the copter, and very serious looking police stood guard. After all the suits and uniforms went inside I approached the police and asked what was going on. They indicated they could not say. I was also told that I could not enter the FBO. Hmmm… I took pictures, as best I could.

Eventually I did get permission to go inside and use the bathroom, but a lot of very serious men kept a very close eye on me. No one had a clue what was going on, or would/could not say. I hate not having curiosity appeased.

But I was telling about Eagles of a feathered kind. Driving to the nest site felt like a pilgrimage. To see a place thousands of miles from my desk, standing along that familiar road, looking up at the nest I’d spent so many hours watching was an incredible experience.

The parents had delivered a lot of fish to the eaglets and knowing a hatchery was nearby, I had a theory. I spoke with a man at the hatchery and he confirmed. Some of the fish where “stolen” from the holding ponds, but most were donated to the eagles. Each morning the crew scoops out any fish that have expired during the night and the eagles roosted in nearby trees waiting for free breakfast.

Parents stay in the immediate vicinity of the nest, but at least one of the eaglets has been tracked into northern Wisconsin. No, I didn’t see the eagles, but it wasn’t really necessary, I was content with seeing the nest site in person.

The balance of the flight on to my next stop at Buffalo, MN was uneventful, but slow with constant headwind. Total flight 435 nm. 4 hrs 40 minutes. States: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota.