DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa- The Iowa Department of Transportation is sharing video of an unusual project this fall. A highway project near Upper Catfish Creek in Dubuque County threatened an eagle nest, and since eagles are protected, it required special efforts, and a permit to move the nest to another tree nearby.
Contractors took out other trees first, then turned their attention on the tree with the nest, securing the nest with rigging, and then cutting the tree off at the trunk.
The nest was then transported by a crane to its new home nearby and secured in the tree, to provide the opportunity for the eagles to return and take up residence.
The Iowa DNR says some eagle nests can become seven feet in diameter and can weigh over two tons.