Muskrats look a lot like groundhogs, except for the long hairless ratlike tail.
Parking their nest above a State fish hatchery might have something to do with that - they’re essentially next door to the Eagle equivalent of a 24/7 all you can eat buffet. Not having to travel as far for a meal has got to be an advantage when pickings are thin, though obviously they eat non-fish critters as well.
I just found this photo and article about the installation of the camera. Gives you a better idea of the size of the nest!
Thanks again Bumbershoot! I am gona send them a small donation on PayPal.
Which one has the black feathers on the back of the head, the male or the female?
My pleasure! And I’m doing the same.
I never noticed black feathers on the back of the head of either one, but that’s the female on the nest now, and I don’t see black feathers so it must be the male.
This eagle webcam feed made the ABC news with Katie Couric tonight. I was just a blurb, but she said there were 11 million hits on that feed over the weekend!
As far as the ‘sibling rivalry’ goes, although it is not uncommon for chicks to compete with one another, it is unlikely that they will do each other any serious harm. The only time that is likely to happen is if food is scarce and the chicks have to compete for what is available. I have seen many nests with two or three eaglets and although the chicks do peck at one another, as long as the food is plentiful, there is never a serious issue.
If food becomes scarce, it becomes every chick for itself. But it also seems unlikely that an eagle pair would have laid as many as three eggs if food availability was a problem.
I happened to be in Decorah tonight, so I drove by the nest (I stayed on the road, and stopped no more than 30 seconds - I don’t think I was more disturbing than normal traffic on the road)
It was starting to get dark , so all I saw was the nest and one of parents flying about.
Brian
I thought that was you going past on the road in the background! Why didn’t you wave or something?
Currently nobody is on the nest. It’s just the babies on their own. What’s up with that?
I also saw the “latch key chicks”. Mom (or Dad) just reappeared. Surprised the camera didn’t zoom in on the eggs while the 'rents were taking a break.
now they’re both there, like they’re making up for their mistake.
I was watching and I timed it at about 4 minutes of “chick alone time” I think that one of the parents was perched nearby - they panned all around the area earlier and one was on the nest and one on a limb.
Checked in for lunch - during my lunch and theirs. Looks like trout sushi was on the menu. Yum! Adorably cute, except for the blood and entrails. Well, maybe even that, too, in context.
The babies are totally uncovered now. So cute! Mom or dad is just off to the side of the nest. Scared me for a minute…thought they were all alone.
One of the chicks is way over on the side of the nest–how’d that happen? Geez I take one phone call… Mom or dad is just settling onto the other one and the egg and leaving junior over there on the side by him/herself! 
It almost looked to me like mama flipped the eaglet out. It happened really fast so it was hard to catch.
Haha! He’s trying to eat the fingers off of the dead whatever-it-is muskrat thing.
the tiny chick is chewing on the muskrat leg!!