DECORAH, IA - An internet phenomenon with Iowa ties is back for another season.
We're of course talking about the Raptor Resource Project’s Decorah Eagle Cam, and project leaders think this season will be just as big as last.
“As soon as we had an egg all of a sudden we went from like 3,000 to 25,000 and yes it's growing by leaps and bounds probably just as big as last year,” said Bob Anderson, director of the Raptor Resource Project.
Anderson never expected these Decorah eagles to attract so much attention, “It just doesn't involve terrorism, flooding or wars and it's just a feel good.”
The Decorah Eagle Cam is the number one most viewed live video of all time on the host site Ustream, and all that attention prompted Anderson to get better computers and faster connection speeds this year.
“Everybody is commenting on how the quality is so much better it's almost high definition this year compared to last year,” said Anderson.
The Raptor Resource Project put its first camera in a nest nearly 20 years ago. Today they have 25 cameras in six different states, but Anderson explains the Decorah cam is by far the most popular.
“No matter where I travel, no matter what teacher I run into they all use it in the classroom and that's pretty phenomenal we've probably become the largest wildlife education program on the planet,” said Anderson.
Last year folks from around the world came to Decorah to see the nest, “It becomes their eagles and then they adopt it they have to come here physically and see the next firsthand.” With just 35 days separating the time an egg is laid until it hatches Anderson expects it won't be long before people once again start coming to the Iowa town.
“It is a huge amount of pressure on us but it's also extremely rewarding to see it bring so much pleasure to so many people around the globe.”
Anderson says one question he gets asked the most is ‘what happened to last year's baby eaglets?’ Last summer for the first time Anderson put a satellite tracking system on one of the three birds. He says it's traveled as far north as the Canadian border and as far south as Missouri.
