The Decorah Eagles have lost the person who helped put them in the world's spotlight. The Raptor Resource Project's blog reports Bob Anderson passed away this morning.
Anderson's internet bird cam of the Decorah Eagles went live 2011. Almost overnight, the birds became one of the world's largest wildlife education programs. Former director of the MacBride Raptor Project in Solon Jodeane Cancilla says the eagles' bird cam was an important resource.
"To be able to know that that was being seen throughout the world," Cancilla said, "That's such a wonderful learning opportunity. So many schools had it plugged in when they were studying birds and were able to watch those."
Cancilla says Anderson's passing is a tremendous loss for the State of Iowa and the raptor world. He was also very dedicated to many other projects, including ospreys and peregrine falcons.