How the eagle avoids stepping on her babies with those big claws, I have no idea, but she gently settles herself over them and tucks them in against the cold, windy Iowa weather. There are no leaves on the trees yet, and it has been raining all week. You hear other animals in the background on occasion, like geese I am hearing pass by right now.
They say that this nest is five to six feet across and weighs 1-1/2 tons! It is located above a fish hatchery in Decorah, which accounts for why I so often see fish laying in the nest.