Iroquois refuge eaglet named, takes flight for first time

Photo from Pixcams, Inc.: The eaglet featured on a nest cam at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge has been named Skanon. The eaglet took flight for the first time on Sunday.

By Dick Moss, president of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

BASOM – The eaglet that has been the focus of attention at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge took flight for the first time Sunday morning.

The fledging occurred just a day after Amy Merritt of Corfu, a member of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (FINWR) and one of the lead eagle camera moderators, announced the eaglet’s new name.

The name is Skanon (pronounced Skä•noñh), a name with deep Seneca roots meaning peace and wellness. It was suggested by FINWR board member Marvin Jacobs of Cheektowaga, an elder of the Seneca Wolf Clan, and was one of three names that interested observers chose among.

Skanon has many meanings and also expresses: Continuance — the idea that life, culture, and responsibility carry forward; as well as journey — walking a path guided by the Great Law of Peace.

Skanon spread her wings and took off from the nest at 7:31 a.m. Sunday, aged 79 days, and swooped down toward the marsh. She returned later in the morning after her adventure, and settled for a time on a branch near the bald eagle camera operated by FINWR before returning to the nest.

“Skanon had what we call an intentional fledge,” Merritt said. “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!”

The name was chosen from among three possibilities by FINWR members, participants in the eagle cam chat and followers of FINWR’s web pages who made a small donation to the nonprofit to participate in the voting. The other two options were Oneida and Casey.

FINWR’s eagle camera committee also named Skanon’s parents Cayuga and Seneca, in tribute to the Haudenosaunee legacy of the land the refuge sits on.

The mother bald eagle, previously designated IF1, will now be known as Cayuga — a name rooted in the People of the Great Swamp, reflecting strength, resilience, and deep connection to the waters and wetlands that cradle this nest.

The father, previously IM1, will now be known as Seneca — honoring the Keepers of the Western Door, a name that carries the spirit of guardianship, wisdom, and watchful protection.

Merritt said that in the post-fledge period, expect Cayuga and Seneca to continue to bring food to the nest, or wherever Skanon happens to be.

“She will explore, as she did today,” Merritt said.

“She seems to be a strong flyer,” said FINWR Vice President Emma DeLeon of Williamsville, who has shared the main moderator duties with Merritt and is one of the people most responsible for the eagle camera and its setup. “Over the next 4-6 weeks, the parents will continue feeding her as she learns to hunt and scavenge. Gradually she will spend more time independently and more time outside of the parents’ territory.  She will be fully independent and have left the territory by this fall.”

The eagle camera idea was born mostly from comments and feedback from visitors to the refuge Visitor Center asking if the original eagle cam was still working. It had stopped working over 20 years ago, said FINWR past president and current board member Garner Light of Gasport.

“The inquiries happened often enough that it seemed like a good idea to propose installing a new camera,” he said. “The camera was installed on a beautiful warm day in October of 2024. This was the culmination of a year’s worth of research, consultations, permissions, discussions and a lot of logistics.”

Many people were involved in making the camera a reality, among them the state Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Iroquois NWR management, Bill Powers of Pixcams Inc. of Export, PA, Treeman Tom LLC of Wilson, DeLeon and Light.

Dick Moss of Medina is president of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, a 501(3)c nonprofit, all-volunteer corporation that helps support and maintain the refuge for future generations.