Two bald eagles have literally made themselves at home at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge near the western Iowa town of Missouri Valley. Park Assistant Manager Steve Van Riper says this is a first for the refuge.The eagles built a nest and successfully hatched two young who are out of the nest now and are being fed by the parents. Van Riper says he hopes the mature eagles will return to nest in the same spot next year — and for good.Van Riper says eagles will usually return to nests they’ve built, as long as they had a good experience with the nesting area.While this nest is about four feet across, some can grow to much larger sizes and can weigh as much as two tons. Van Riper says the eagles will likely stay at DeSoto until fall when they’ll migrate south. In February, the eagles should come back to the nest they’ve made at DeSoto.
