Early Sunday morning, a 79-day-old bald eagle took flight for the first time at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. The fledging, as the first flight is called, was watched by many through the refuge’s eagle cam.
Watchers of the bald eagle camera, along with members of the Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and followers of FINWR's web page, also voted on a name for the eaglet. The voting ended Saturday with the bird being named Skanon, a name with Seneca roots that means peace and wellness, according to the FINWR.
“Skanon had what we call an intentional fledge,” Amy Merritt, a FINWR member said about Skanon’s first flight. “She wanted to fly! You look for a poop shoot first, she will extend her neck out looking for a target, judging distance, wings extended. Then a spring from the legs, as if you were jumping off a diving board!”
Merritt was able to watch Skanon’s first flight through the refuge’s eagle cam, a live feed of the bald eagle’s nest. The camera was installed in 2024 after visitors to the refuge made comments about a similar camera that had died twenty years earlier, according to FINWR board member Garner Light. More information about viewing the live feed can be found on the FINWR website.
Skanon is not the only bald eagle that has recently received a name. Her mother, previously known as IF1, will now be called Cayuga, a name the FINWR says is rooted in the People of the Great Swamp and has connotations of strength and resilience as well as a connection to the waters and wetlands she lives on. And Skanon’s father, IM1, will now be called Seneca, after the Keepers of the Western Door. The name has meanings of guardianship, wisdom and watchful protection.
Cayuga and Seneca originally had three eaglets, but Skanon’s siblings died in April after falling from their nest. Skanon is their last remaining offspring.
The INWR says that over the next four to six weeks, Skanon’s parents will continue to bring her food, but that she will begin to spend more and more time on her own. By fall, she will be fully independent and ready to leave the nest.