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On June 11, an EagleCam eaglet was absent from the nest, after an overnight storm. DNR staff visited the nest site to check on the eaglet, which may or may not have fledged (flown for the first time) on purpose. They found the eaglet on the ground, which is a normal part of fledging, though not ideal.
The eaglet appeared alert and uninjured and, after consulting with The Raptor Center (TRC), the bird was left in place, so that the fledging process could continue naturally. DNR staff returned daily to the site to monitor the situation. On June 14, an astute passerby contacted TRC when they discovered the eaglet in some dense vegetation a short distance from the nest site. The eaglet was brought to TRC for evaluation. Once the bird demonstrated a clean bill of health, TRC determined she was ready to be released.
In consultation with the DNR, The Raptor Center also enrolled the grounded eaglet in their new post release monitoring project. This project tracks rehabilitated raptors after release using GPS technology to better understand how they fare in the wild.
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A second of the three EagleCam eaglets fledged early morning June 18 and the final chick fledged June 22. The eaglets might occasionally return to the nest area after they first fledge, but once they gain strength and independence, they will move on.
The DNR EagleCam live stream is available on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/eaglecam and on the DNR YouTube channel.
 Photo of one of the EagleCam parents looking on as the grounded EagleCam chick was released back at the nest site. Photo by The Raptor Center.
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