By Tim Nelson

MPR News/90.1

This year’s couple is smart and ruggedly good-looking. The camera adores them. Each day, despite life’s high and lows, their relationship seems to reach new heights.

And now, thanks to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, we can listen in.

Eagles. We’re talking eagles. The DNR’s hypnotic eagle cam at www.dnr.state.mn.us/features/webcams/eaglecam is back for its seventh year.

DNR officials say the pair of unbanded eagles has taken up residence and is sharing meals together as they continue building the next. They’ve been in the area of the nest all summer.

“They seem to always be together … They seem very bonded to each other, spending most of their time together — showing fondness for each other and sharing food commonly,” the department said in a statement.

The new setup also includes a microphone that, right now at least, seems to catch more wind than eagle chat.

The eagles, though, are talkative, screeching and calling to each other, as well as other eagles in the area, said Lori Naumann with the DNR’s nongame wildlife program.

DNR staffers are working to fine tune the mic and employ a special audio application to hone in on the particular frequency of bald eagle cries and filter out other sounds. Naumann asked for patience from eagle watchers — some as far away as Indonesia — as they rolled out the new audio feature for the first time Thursday.

It turns out the application is difficult to adapt to eagle cries, Naumann said, adding, “They’re not as loud as you might think.”