Day 23, 1/31/08, Thursday, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

I would say today was a "fine feathered day" and then some. Everywhere I turned a feathered friend flew past me, swam, or perched.

I should mention before the new month, some of you may have been reading this every day and maybe are wondering, "Where are all the eagles?" Isn't this story about the eagles?"

It is. It's the continuing story about their territories, the weather, the people, the animals they live by, the plants, encounters, fights, feedings, and the mini worlds in the bigger picture. It's about the relationships we all share.

It's my grandest adventure, renewed each day, to go back out each day and discover the stories that change, or spring forth, and sometimes end on the highway and become the food for the others.

Today it was -8 below when I arrived in my project area, and -15 below with wind chill. The skies were winter blue. In fact it was so picture-perfect, I felt like I was walking into a commerical for a Wintergreen (TM) commercial.

I hiked in to the south area about a 1/4 mile from Daedee and Dancer's nest. I heard the eagles deep in the valley on the river, but I couldn't see them.

When I looked down I was standing in a patch of dried goldenrod plants. There were hundreds of swollen bulbs on the stem. Did you know that inside each of those galls lives a little white grub, about a quarter inch long, and it is spending the winter inside. This is it's winter home. In the spring he will chew a hole and emerge as a tiny moth.

That is if the chickadees and woodpeckers don't discover his hiding place first. I have watched them pounding on the galls for a half hour just to get the tiny grub inside. I thought I'd post a picture of the galls so you can see what I am talking about. The ones with the holes have been
drilled out by a bird.

I amused myself during the long wait by photographing the flood tree decorations. Yesterday I laughed at the flower pot right side up waiting for seeds of spring.

Today I photographed a cornstalk complete with ear of corn that was tangled in the branches, five feet over my head. A corn cob that had become food for the winter birds, and a passing squirrel.

Tonight I am going to remember to pack my snowshoes. Then I can get back deep in the valley, at least as far as I can cover so that I have time to cover my entire project area and be out before dark. Today, I came close to almost snapping my knees as I stepped from one foot of even terrain into the two and half feet of snow covering the flood brush. The snow shoes will keep me on top of the snow.

All the eagle nests were empty today, however, there were eagles everywhere I went. I watched nest six eagles for about an hour. The female perched above the frozen marsh and could see her mate on the north end and she let out a constant string of calls to him. Then he would leave his perch and circle above her.

I watched the trumpeter swans preening, bathing, drying their wings. I wish I could capture the peace and tranquility they offer this project, and I have tried. Every day, in all the different weather, but I can't seem to shoot what I see. I have "photographer's block" and I can't seem to shoot what I feel there, but I see it. Every day they are there giving me another opportunity.

If there was an ark parked half way up the bluff, and the swans were dove's with olive branches, in their beaks instead of plant bulbs, maybe the message I feel in their presence would be easier to shoot. I'm thankful every day when I take the bend before their pond and can see two yellowish-white lumps swimming about, or resting on the ice before I stop to set up my shots.

I found two more trees for my tree book I think you'll find these a good match for the project.
I only have six weeks left to find and shoot the rest of the book.

Last night my daughter and me pulled out the images for our children's book, Silk: Adventures of Jumping Spider. This is a true story of a jumping spider who, well, showed up on the hood of our truck. So we brought it inside and did a late night photo shoot in scenes that I know will make you laugh. So be watching for this book. Maybe, even by this winter, God-willing.

The rest of my day was fishing for birds fishing for berries, and fish.

I finally snuck up on the female belted kingfisher. She found comfort in the drake mallard who was sharing her stream today and didn't fly off when she saw me. Or, maybe she was just too busy trying to eat what appeared to be a frozen sunfish. I don't know what they call them thumblings?
(joking), when the fish isn't even as big as your finger, do you call them fingerlings?

There the belted kingfisher sat on her perch, with a slicked back wet head that Jerry Lewis would be proud of. Over and over, she turned the fish, but the poor bird looked like she was trying to eat one of my favorite food groups, Swedish Fish, only this one was a dull orange and she couldn't figure out how to eat it. So she banged it on the branch, flipped it and then in frustration perhaps, flew off.

Then I found a waxwing racing a robin for a grape on a grapevine. The two birds fought over
who got the grapes. There was a pileated woodpecker who was in the grove of trees but the harder I tried to get a shot, the faster he hid.

It was a fun day in the valley and as I drove out the red tail hawk of pond 3 looked back over his shoulder at me looking up at him. We gave each other our looks and both turned our heads opposite directions, until we meet again, tomorrow, God-willing.

Tonight I had an inkling to go to the bookstore. With dinner almost finished cooking, we took a quick trip over to the used bookstore and picked up some great books. I don't know how it always happens, but every time they ring us up it is about $29 dollars in used books. Em got a handful, Dave got a couple books he'd been wanting, and I guess I found the motherload. About eight books on how to write children's books. Figured that was part of God's timing.

Then we ate a delicious meal of homemade BBQ chicken, homemade, sliced and diced scalloped potatoes, and my pasta with garlic, a dab of butter and feta cheese. Nothing like home-cooked meals. Sorry McDonalds. You're dollar menu is great, but even I can only handle so many $1 double cheeseburgers. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba . . . But, no worries . . . I'll be back in the morning for my sausage bisquit and coffee -- black.

Looking forward to a new month, I would write the end of the week, but I work every day, so I'll write and Day 24.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

P.S. I appreciate your comments. Thanks Alan!

Day 22, Wednesday, 1/30/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a wonderful day. The schools were canceled again due to the dangerous wind chills.
Exposed skin can and will freeze in about ten minutes in this weather. We had windchill advisories out all day. It was -34 below zero when I headed out this early morning, I expected to see sun dogs as I headed out onto the highway, but I didn't see any dogs, let alone sun dogs. The sun was shining and that was a real treat after the scenes from yesterday. I loved the contast of the bright blue skies set against pristine white snow drifts of every height.

When I arrived in my project area I met a flock of cardinals crossing the highway. So I pulled over and sat roadside for a bit, but didn't get a single shot of them. Then I watched a male downey woodpecker. He was so busy tapping a thumb-sized hole in a sapling that he never noticed me. I watched him with an deep curiousity. He would hammer his beak into the tree and stop for a moment. It was like he was waiting for something. Then suddenly, he would thrust his long tongue into the sap of the tree and lap it up. Then he would tap it again, and stick his beak deeper into the tree for a drink. I've tasted sap, (curiosity got the best of me) and I'm happy to report that it's nothing I would stick my tongue in. Yuck!

After this "Animal Planet" moment, I was all ready to climb a mountain, slay a dragon, conquor a photo opportunity that would be waiting for my arrival. I geared up quickly, double-layering my head and neck so only my eyes were exposed to the biting air. I hiked out south of the eagle nest area. I had seen Dancer when I was sitting up with the woodpecker. Upon my arrival in the field, Dancer flew over me and I nodded up to him. I sometimes wonder if he expects me.

While I was there I heard a coyote yipping three different times. He wasnt' any threat so I remained.

As I stood and watched the wildlife in the area, I kept looking for the golden eagle to rise from the deafening caws of a dozen or more crows, but that didn't happen either. Not far from me, eight or nine blue jays darted from one tree to another and I enjoyed listening to their chatter.

I didn't want to stand still too long, less I would freeze, so I kept busy and I photographed dead plants, snow drifts, and even my shadow just to amuse myself while I waited for the eagles to come in.

while I was standing there I started thinking how much I wanted my McDonalds coffee that I left in the truck. I could almost taste the sweet coffee running across my tastebuds. From experience I knew by this time of day, it would be luke warm at best when I returned for it. Once I returned to my vehicle I would sip it all day, every time I returned to my vehicle until it was ice cold.

The last thing I expected was a McDonald's mirage out there in the middle of a snowdrift. As I looked down on the ground, I chuckled at the sight of the golden arches right there in front of me. So I photographed them. Two dried grasses, plants arched over sun-drenched in the McDonald's golden yellow hues.

I hiked out shortly after this and you can bet your egg McMuffin that I savored that first sip of coffee when I reached my truck. Even if it was luke warm.

I moved on. I found all the eagle nests empty today. At least not one eagle was working on them while I watched anyways. I moved on to the trumpeter swans. I sat with them, a silent observer, for a least a half hour watching them take turns diving into deeper water. I had not in the air for whatever they were eating below the water.

I photographed the swans while they dipped and rose back to the air, I photographed them as the
-30 winds blew across their winter scene and I was thankful to get to spend that time there with them.

I found a red tail hawk up in my old marsh project and he sat for a spell and I photographed him.

Further up the road I found a handful of bluebirds perched above me. So I stopped to photograph the one who remained, and he kept tilting his head at me, posing for the camera.

I found a couple dozen bohemian waxwings stirring about the grapevines. They would stir up the robins into flight, and a handful of cardinals. I watched the bohemian waxwings, two of them fly to a snow-covered branch, and the one closer to me dipped his beak into the snow, and then he licked off the water. Then the other bird did the same.

Following their behavior, the robins did the same. I got the impression that gorging themselves on the frozen and half-dehydrated, sour grapes and sweet purple fruits that were dangling from almost every branch, made this entire flock thirsty.

I had some extra time so I worked on my tree book for about an hour, hiking up small hills looking for just the right trees. Before I was ready to call it a day, the sun already made its descent on the bluff line.

I couldn't believe it was already 5 PM. Where had my day gone?

As I headed past the last part of my project I caught the movement of a doe and her twin fawns creeping into the cornfield. Of course, they can't really be called fawns anymore. I wanted to shoot their pictures, but with the dim light, I wouldn't get a very good shot anyway. I also knew the clicking of my camera shutter would surely scare them into bolting right out of this picturesque scene.

Instead, I reached for my video camera and zoomed in on the mom who was aware of my presence. I knew that because she was shifting her head right, then left, then right again trying to figure out if I was a friend or foe.

Then I turned the camera to the twins. Both were huddled together, and both were intently watching me with every slow move I made. I got about a minute of footage before the darker twin bolted and behind him the mom and the sibling followed. They stopped on the edge of the cornfield and stared looking back at me. I could still see them, but I left so they could feed.

It's only supposed to be about -15 below tomorrow. I'm looking forward to Day 23.

I'll see you on the journey--

Lisa


www.i-Lisa.com or www.LISALC.com

Day 21, Tuesday, 1/29/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

As I write this the temperature with wind chill is -50 below zero and it will drop even more during this first Minnesota blizzard for 2008.

I was all about getting up early and getting back before the storm hit. Almost all schools were canceled, starting late, or dismissing early. My daughters school was cancelled so she stayed home with my husband until I returned.

As I drove down the highway the radio announcers were talking about how bad the snow was coming down. I wasn't that far out of Rochester, and I didn't even see a snowflake, yet. Then again, I never experienced those tropical moments of mid-twenties that they announced yesterday. In fact, what was supposed to be a rain-sleet-turning to snow storm, turned into a blizzard.

Blizzard warnings came across the air waves and there I sat driving through them for the second year in a row. However, this year I was already at my project when the announcents came on the radio. MNDOT (Minnsota Department of Transportation) was closing roads, and advising emergency travel only.

I shrugged, geared up, and hiked out to Daedee and Dancer's nest area and upon my arrival I heard them vocalizing to each other, but I couldn't see them. I shot a couple images and it wasn't even a minute later when snowflakes the size of Herbie the Love Bug, began crashing down. In a few minutes time I could no longer see the nest tree, let alone my path out.

Luckily, I knew the area well and every tree, and every broken stump, and every flood brush pile became my constant reference points to get me back to the highway. When I reached my truck I decided I just couldn't just stop and turn around and quit. Once there, I had to finish my project. I promised Dave I'd be back by noon at the latest. I checked my camera's time and it was 10:34 AM.

I could finish the project in an hour, and still get home by 12:15. That was a perfectly acceptable; expectable, "Lisa Time." Never on time, but never too early or too late.

I traveled the back roads but I couldn't see half of them for they were already drifting to a foot or more of snow. I couldn't see a single eagle nest beyond Judy and The Mayor's. There were no eagles gathered around a deer carcass, as a matter of fact, there wasn't a deer carcass in sight either.

As I drove on I couldn't see twenty feet beyond my truck. I proved that when I pulled over and stepped out of my truck and walked fifty feet into the woods to photograph a tree for my tree book. However, when I looked back to the road, I stared into the whiteness that stole my truck from my view.

I followed my snow-covered tracks back out, thinking this was the end of the storm. We were only supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow, and that much had fallen already. Then again, I can't remember one storm this year where the weather was what the weather announcer predicted.

The winds picked up howling with a vengence and the temperatures quickly dropped to -30 below zero. There was a constant, eeire howl through the broken trees and through the flood brush. The usual rustling sound of winds twisting through the leaves, stubborn or still clinging to the tree that nurtured them. Paper thin leaves that didn't fall off last autumn, dry leaves that sounded more like twenty people crumpling tin foil on each side of my head trumpeting through my double-layered hats protecting my ears.

I saw one eagle fly by or maybe he was blowing past me. I watched him or her for about twenty feet before it was swallowed by the blinding, white snow. I stood wondering, "How do the eagles find their way through that snow while flying? If I can't see a tree thirty feet away, how do they fly and not crash into them?" I had to find out.

The snow was deep on the dips and curves of the valley, and I was thankful for non-existent travelers heading my direction. It allowed me time to travel at my pace, "Lisa Style."

I drove up the road and I set up over a pond and watched a couple dozen mallards diving into the icy cold water, unmoved, by it's bite. They'd jump out of one pool, and the horizon would be momentarily brightened with a splash of their bright, orange duck feet as they waddled over the thin ice. One by one, follow-the-leader style, they would jump into a hole on the other side. I guess the plants were greener on the other side, afterall.

I'm sure I shot at least a hundred pictures of these comical ducks, most of them with snow covering the majority of my frames. I watched ten mallards at a time tip their heads into the bone-freezing water, and I watched the other end up go up, curly tails up on the boys, and just white rumps tipped upward on the hens. I watched them bathing and wondered what made them feel a need for a cool bath on such a blustery cold day?

Then I moved on and the roads were frightful. I had never been in a blizzard like this. It was
so awful, I wasn't even sure how I'd get back to Rochester.

I was just leaving when I saw a dozen cardinals off to the side of the road. I pulled over to photograph them, most flew off, but one remained and he casually glanced back at me, and in that glance I could almost feel his wonderment about what I was doing there.

A blue jay came along and frightened them all away. I tell you from experience, if more people would put up blue jays than a scare crow, they may see a better garden.

The roads worsened as I traveled the winding, deepening, drifting, two lane county roads home.
I couldn't see the road 90% of the way. I was down to 35 mph to 45 mph. I was thankful the plows had been out on the highways, however, where the snow plows had been, the roads were already drifting in again.

Next cars and trucks in the opposite lane began sporting their flashers. At first I wondered if it were some new ritual for a funeral procession, but then as I traveled into the blanket of whiteness, I realized the travel was almost non-existant ahead. As I drove along, without warning, in a split-second moment you hear about, there would be a car or truck, only one snow plow, and they were usually half over the center line heading right at me, forcing me to the drifted shoulder to avoid a collision.

On the steep hills, I held my breath, hoping the road would still be there as I went over and continued down into the blinding whiteness. It was like that peak moment, that frozen second when riding on a roller coaster--that moment of fear, exhileration, and the unknown all wrapped into a millisecond of thought as one reaches the top of the roller coaster and begin the descent, that hold-your-breath sensation as you begin dropping into a whirlwind of screams and howls, and a blur of colors. Except all I saw was white and the howls I heard were only from the winds.

When I reached the major highway intersection, I couldn't see if anything was coming either direction, and I remembered that exact feeling from last year, when the exact same thing happened, and I asked myself, "Haven't you learned anything?"

I waited, and tried to hear for the approach of a semi, or car, or truck. Nothing. I tried looking, I should have tried my infrared on my camera. I pulled out and that's the only time my truck did 0-55 in three seconds this entire journey.

I drove and drove, and I swore I should have been home by now. I flipped my Joyce Meyer tape over
and listened, letting her voice and God's promises calm me and take the road from here.

The road worsened still. There was a steady line of vehicles exiting Rochester, and I knew that it must be even worse ahead.

I was so glad to reach the city limits I could only have empathy for all the vehicles in the other lane heading into the storm, and drifting roads ahead of them.

There was a twenty car pile up not far from me, and I was glad not to be on that highway. The major highways were being closed down for blizzard conditions as I turned the corner and drove down my street.

I honked as I pulled in the drive way, knowing Dave and Em were probably worried sick about me, and it was going to take ten minutes to get my snow gear, my blizzard-wear off. I didn't know it was nearly 1 PM, and it took me an hour and a half to drive 45 minutes. But I was home, safe, protected on this journey.

I went upstairs into some thankful arms. "We were praying for you," my little girl hugged me. "What took you so long?"

"You'll see." I smiled back.

Blizzard is in effect through tomorrow. I don't know how bad the roads will be, but I will
give it my best effort. God-willing I'll get there and back.

In weather like this you pray a lot. It keeps you close to God, and you hope your boots keep your feet warm, and that your vehicle will start. I joke that I'm field-tested to -70 below with wind chill. I guess I'm going to have to put my camera to my words as I head out in the minus something tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to Day 22.

See you on the journey,

Lisa

Day 20, Monday, 1/28/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was an exceptional day. The weather was mid 30's, and by the time I left it was beginning to rain.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn on us, and quickly at that. The weatherman promises a
warm morning, with highs reaching almost 28 degrees, however following this temporary mirage of spring we can expect rain turning to sleet; with dropping temperatures the sleet will turn to snow and that will be 1-3 inches and by the afternoon the temperature is supposed to drop to
-12 and -30's again with wind chill. Winter. I can't say enough about it.

Maybe that is why I had so many photo opportunities today.

I found a sixth eagle nest today. A small nest that I thought must surely be a red tail hawks
home. As I sat photographing it, in came an eagle with a stick. Then the mate joined the first
bird.

I couldn't believe it. Had I not been focused in on the nest I would have missed it all. I quickly set up my video, and I shot at least fifty shots of the two eagles flying off and gathering sticks.

I decided to name them Dick and Linda, after my dear friends Dick and Linda from St. Charles.
That's ten eagles now. Five confirmed pairs, six nests, and you can trust that I am watching nest five for any and all activity.

The trumpeter swans had a little spat today. Maybe the overcrowding of the canada geese, mallards and teals caused some edginess? The one mate went after and bit the other in the neck and upper shoulder letting out a squak of displeasure.

Further up the way I found three mallards. A drake and two hens. They were paddling around the narrow, winding stream where the belted kingfisher fishes. I snapped up a dozen or so shots when all of a sudden one of the hens lept to the sky quacking and flying fifteen feet down river.
The other ducks reacted to the hen and quickly followed. Then all three huddled peeking over
a one foot snow-covered log jutting out of the river bank, lifting their heads over each other
to see what was there.

I looked too, and I didn't see anything. Must have been a ghost carp that came up and rubbed against one of them.

As I headed back to backtrack all the nests, I found them all empty. Then further up the way I found out why. Eight adult eagles were stirring up at least a hundred crows, and for about ten seconds all I saw was the beating of big and small black wings pitched against the blue and grey
sky.

Then all the eagles gathered back around the carcass perching in trees, forming a half circle of black and white all around the dead deer carcass. The dominant eagle hopped on top of the deer and began tearing at its head. I couldn't believe the power in the eagles grip. It pulled at least 30 pounds of deer upward and dropped it, then using all its weight, it flapped and pulled backwards, skinning the hide from the muscle beneath and drove its beak into the meat and tore of a fist full of meat.

I filmed and photographed one eagle gorging itself for a half hour with seven eagle onlookers still perched above, awaiting their turns.

I didn't see Daedee and Dancer, and I photographed all the birds there. Some could have been migrating through, but Judy and The Mayor were there, and it sure looked like the Nest 6 eagles, but I don't have enough experience with them yet to positively identify any of the birds other than Daedee and Dancer, and Judy and The Mayor.

After this, I headed to Daedee and Dancer's nest area. Dancer and Daedee were flying around circling each other, in what I would almost dare to say pre-courtship behavior, but I won't, not yet. So I don't believe they were counted in the mix of eight adult eagles gathered at the deer carcass. Maybe they were there earlier, much earlier, and then left, but I still don't think they would have beat me back to their nest area.

I found another cool shot for my tree-book-in-progress. My daughter is really having fun helping me pick the trees, and seeing what I come home with. I wish I could share even one shot with ou now, but not yet, this all a surprise. You can't show a book that is unfinished.

That's why I started this blog. It's the cliff note verion of my book, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles. From my The Eagle Chronicles. This is, obviously, the fourth book in the series.

Now when people ask, "Don't you have enough pictures of eagles yet?" "Why do you have to go every day?"

I hope this blog, answers those questions--visually for you.

I know you'll find the books interesting.

I found a couple winter insects milling about in the snow so I photographed them. As I shot it made me remember all the time I spent photographing the insects in winter a couple years ago. A time that seems like just yesterday.

I came home and made a wonderful spaghetti dinner, with meatballs that were the best I've ever made. When I make meatballs they are there own food group.

I'm looking forward to my three week milestone, tomorrow, Day 21.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 19, Sunday, 1/27/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was an exceptionally warm day with temperatures reaching 32 degrees. It felt like a cool spring day outside, and made me yearn for the approaching spring. Still, I hold out for the ground hogs' prediction which will arrive next Saturday. However, with the way the wildlife has been acting, I can almost guess with a certain predictability that spring will be here in about 7 weeks.

Today, as expected, I followed my little girls boot prints into Daedee and Dancer's nest area and felt the pangs of loneliness for her. The unexpected appearance of the rookery of black crows interupted my thoughts, and drew my attention instead, into the long, fluid strokes of the golden eagle who appeared, and then disappeared before I could even pull my camera from my over stuffed camera bag.

It seemed my day from the onset was destined to be pulled into the arrears, and so as it unfolded, I didn't hurry or rush it, I only assumed that this day was a hot bed for delayed events, and I was out of my realm. I was expereincing my desires in Gods' timing.

When I left the eagle nest area I moved on to the trumpeter swans. The swans were sitting peacefully on the iced edge of the pond as I clicked their images, one by one. Then, in God's perfect timing, a silver SUV pulled up next to me. Recognizing it, I walked over to their truck just as my friend Dick stepped out of his passenger side seat. "We've been looking for you!" He cried out. "We didn't know what happened to you--we haven't seen you since the flood, we thought something happened." And then, "Can I have a hug?"

I gave my long, lost friend a hug and we all swapped eagle stories and caught up on old times. I knew then, had I followed my timing for today I would have missed running into Dick and his wife Linda from St. Charles, Minnesota.

They made my day. Then an old friend Chad, a fellow photographer found me and we caught up on old times, life as photographers, and for the afternoon today the day was about renewing friendships, and gathering new locals and sharing coveted animal news, and hot spots among friends.

The light was falling fast, and in the valley you have an hour less of daylight than on the hills so I had to shoot the remainder of my project quickly. So Chad and me waved our departure waves. Chad headed for the ridges, and I headed deeper into the valley.

I found the Nest 4 vacant, but nest 3 was occupied with one eagle facing the east into the river. Up the way I found The Mayor and Judy on their nest and tree, and I took the first shots, ever of them together. I must say, these shots are nothing more than documentary shot that show the eagle pair. They are not "Kodak moments."

I have to mention I shot the above eagle shot in almost absolute darkness. Long exposures, and several attempts at that, one second to 1/4 second, yielded only a handful of images I could even share with you.

I can say, that The Mayor, is a younger bird, probably only five or six years of age. In certain light he almost has a mask like a raccoon. His eyes are still somewhat dark around the edges which is another indicator of his youth.



I found another eagle feeding on a carcass up the road. This eagle looked like a nest three eagle, but I'm not 100% sure.

Lots of eagles today.

I left the valley well after dark and spooked up a half dozen yearlings on my drive home. They ran across in front of me and froze in the shadows. I flipped my infrared camera on them, and could see them all standing motionless, almost waiting for my move onto them.

I wondered, where had all their parents gone, and how they must have found comfort in each other.

I arrived back at my studio well after dark, but it was worth the extra time I spent with friends and fauna, with God and time alone.

I'm thankful for this wonderful day and I look forward to Day 20, tomorrow.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 18, Saturday, 1/26/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a beautiful and balmy 17 degree day here in Southeast Minnesota. I brought my daughter along with me so she could explore and work on her nature journal. She had several pages filled before we even made it to Dancer & Daedee's nest area.

She hadn't been back to the nest area since before the summer flood, and I wanted her to see the area and how it has changed.

Today she really enjoyed helping me "rekindle" my love for the tree work on my old tree book project I started awhile back, just months after she was born. I guess you could say that it is just now, this season, that the book is finally "taking root."

All nests were empty, but we saw the trumpeter swans sitting up on the ice with the geese. My darling has been down with the flu the last couple days so getting her out of the house and into some fresh air really helped her.

However, it was while she was sick that we spent a lot of time watching old movies, like all three episodes of the Wilderness Family. There is a scene in the third movie where the old mountain man, Boomer, is sitting with the kids and the young boy, Toby, is playing "old Jake's whistle" and the sound of the whistle draws the animals to them. They are all sitting down enjoying the animals who are coming up close to them. When suddenly Boomer sneezes
and scares all the animals away. The girl says, "Oh Boomer."

So there Em and me sat watching and enjoying the animals, birds, and pond life on a Saturday afternoon, during our Minnesota winter, and we both worked on documenting the trumpeter swans and geese, Em drawing as fast as she could, and me shooting my still and video cameras. Then it happened. I sneezed.

Suddenly, the swans and geese all lifted their heads to us, and Em leaned up and said, "Oh Boomer!"

It amazes me the witt and things she comes up with. She's quite a kid.

We saw red tail hawks, lots of crows, cows, horse and pheasants. We checked all the trees for my other book and we both looked forward to a good dinner at home.

I brought her over to a creek to show her some raccoon tracks and we found a heart opening in the snow with the water running beneath. That picture captures the love I have for my girl, the love I know God has for us, and my love I have for the area in these woodlands, reflecting right back at us.

I close out today knowing I just had one of those rare God given days of tranquility, and bonding that we both needed after a long month of colds and flu bugs. There is a time for everything, and today was a time for snow angels, laughter, and mom and daughter enjoying God's creation.

I'm looking forward to Day 19, but I know when I hike out to Daedee and Dancer's nest area I'm going to look down and see two sets of footprints. My little girls and mine and I'm going to really miss our adventures of Day 18 today.

I'll see you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 17, Friday, 1/25/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

It was another snowy day in the valley of the eagles. It all started with large flakes, followed by icy chunks, then the flurries. It made driving to and from my project area a challenge too.

I couldn't find the fifth nest today with the snow falling so heavily it blocked my view, but the other four nests were snow-covered and vacant.

I saw four eagles today, two different pairs of them.

After I left Dancer and Daedee's nest area I moved on to visit the trumpeter swans. About two
dozen canada geese had moved in since yesterday, add to that about twenty mallards who also joined the small pond stirring with life.

As I filmed the swans with the geese and mallards crowding their pool, I got an unexpected surprise when a bald eagle quickly swooped down above them, and tore into the ground, rose up
chasing something, and dropped quicker than I could shoot. At first I wondered if it was going after a mallard, but it kept diving at the ground. I just kept shooting and then was surprised again when another eagle swooped in and both eagles hunted the animal below.

I couldn't see what kind of animal they were after because there was a rise in the landscape, but from the way the eagles were flying I would guess it was a rabbit. Anything else would have run up a tree, or jumped under a log. I sometimes question if a rabbit enjoys being persued, because the way they run back and forth it almost appears like that is a challenging game for them. The eagles hunted as team in the underbrush of the gnarly woods. One eagle would dive talons extended, and the other eagle would perch, momentarily, then dive down with its' talons extended heading the direction the animal they were in pursuit of ran. I wondered how they could
fly and dive so well that they never collided.

As the eagles neared the pond edge the swans began trumpeting loudly. For the first time in 17 days I can with 100% accuracy say they are, without a doubt, trumpeter swans. It's the vocals that separate the breed differences between a trumpeter and tundra swan. I've had my doubts all this time. It took the eagles visit to them to give me an answer I've been waiting for.

I watched the eagles for several minutes and then the one eagle flew off and a few minutes later the mate followed shortly after and I didn't see any rabbit in its talons.

Later as I moved along my outdoor beat I found a few robins standing on the ice, sipping from the open water. The belted kingfisher was sitting on his favorite branch over the river, he even gave me a cursory glance as I passed him.

I photographed the snowflakes, and then some "spirited" trees for a tree book I'm working on.

As I backtracked, I found an eagle sitting on top of a branchless tree, scanning the rapidly moving creek below for a chance meal and his mate flying by.

I talked to a man from the fisheries department a week or so back and he told me when the floods came through this past summer they lost, I think he said 150,000 lake salmon into these streams and rivers. He said they probably wouldn't survive though, as they may not know how to eat to survive. They were destined for a Lake Superior delivery, but the floods took them instead. Eagle food. That's what they are now.

As I traveled along I found a hairy woodpecker, a grey bird that I have yet to indentify, a couple red tail hawks, and two blue birds singing from their perch in the falling snow.

All in all, it was a good day in the fields, and it was almost 10 degrees all day. What a change that was.


Looking forward to Day 18.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 16, Thursday, 1/24/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today began with something I have never seen. Two sun dogs at sunrise, (those are like cresent-shaped rainbows off on each side of the sun and I've only seen them on -20 or more below zero days), but today they were extendeding onto the horizon and they looked like rainbow-colored shadows stretching across the field of grasses rising up with the sun.

The temperature at 7:50 AM was -34 below zero with the wind chill, but it warmed up some as the morning went on.

I hiked the river this morning hoping to get another glimse of the golden eagle, but he was no where to be found. I must have shot a hundred images of frost on fox tails, on seed pods,
branches, tree limbs, and grasses. Then I shot the mist rising from the half-frozen river edged with ice, and surrounded by frost-covered plants.

As the sun ascended spreading light into the tree and plant shadows, I watched thousands of tiny snowflakes falling like self-contained, mini snow storms.

Later on I found the three canada geese back from their travels and now feeding with the trumpeter swans on the ever-shrinking pond edges that are freezing up more each day in these below zero temperatures.

As I traveled on, I found the two red tail hawks, the ones from the other day, the one that I thought was a juvenile, and the deep red hawk who is an adult. They sat opposite sides of a tall tree, but gave the appearance that they were hunting together.

I pulled over and hiked up a bluff, and the adult flew the quarter mile to the area I was and screamed out. His call was ear-piercing and I looked up into the canopy of bare branches, but I never saw him. I looked back the quarter mile and could see the juvenile still sitting in the tree.

As I climbed the bluff I followed a tapping sound to the creator who turned out to be a hairy woodpecker breaking open a seed. I filmed him, and then a nuthatch entered the scene, so I filmed him too. Then I hiked back down and took out and put on another coat for warmth.

After that I found some good sized buck tracks and followed those up another bluff. I didn't get too far because it was almost 1 PM and had to leave to get back to Rochester.

All five of the eagle nests were empty today. At the tail end of my project on my drive out I pulled over to watch a dozen cardinals and a red-bellied woodpecker feeding on the standing
corn cobs. I watched this clever woodpecker fly over take one kernel of corn, and then he flew back and hammered the kernel in between a branch and a tree trunk. He had at least five or six kernels packed into his private corn seed cache, safe from squirrels, but I guess he wasn't worried about the chickadees.

I see woodpeckers stashing food all the time in tree crevices, in rows of the bark on a tree.
Next, I see the chickadees finding it.

On my drive out I found one eagle, who looked back at me. I was thankful this day
ended with an eagle to think about on my drive home.

I'm looking forward to Day 17.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 15, Wednesday, 1/23/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a gorgeous, bitterly-cold day. It was on -15 with the wind chill today. It was mostly sunny, and birds flocks were everywhere I went.

I hiked to the river and followed some coyote tracks that were running alongside what looked like a deer dragging a leg. I'll have to watch for this deer. Huge tracks tell me it's probably the buck from last fall.

I moved on and drove all the way to the Weaver landing on the frozen Mississippi, but didn't find any bird activity there.

I headed back to my project area and found a flock of cardinals filling up on berries, then a flock of some sparrows, a red squirrel, a couple of nuthatches, and that red-bellied woodpecker was out scavenging for food. Only a few robins were hanging around all those frozen grapes dangling with hoar frost.

I found one eagle, at first I believed it was the nest three pair, he or she was sitting on the frozen marsh, and her mate flew by and kept going. Then after that I was driving and I caught the sight of another eagle nest, way back off a goat prairie.

I wondered how I could miss this nest all these years, but then it wasn't just me who had missed it, no one knew it was there. The DNR has only spoke of two nests in that back area. Every one I have talked to only has spoken of two nests.

So I photographed it, it was empty too, and I wondered then if that eagle I had just photographed a half mile back was possibly that nest owner. Now I want to find a way to hike back
and check that nest area out. There is no way to it other than straight over a bluff which is easily ten miles from the highway, five miles another direction, and I know that, because I've
hiked part of that area.

I found all eagle nests empty today which didn't surprise me at all, and at Daedee and Dancer's nest I found a branch they must be trying to chew off for their nest, there was another long stick in the same tree that was chewed off.

I didn't find the golden eagle today but I did find Donny Paul, Daedee and Dancer's second oldest eaglet, he would be 21 months old now. He was flying in the nest area and Dancer came in
and drove him out to the SE bluff.

I know it was Donny Paul because he is the only eaglet I have ever seen in the valley with a perfect ivory oval markings on his tail. That and the relationship with his dad was still very
evident.

I didn't find any wild turkey, no animals kills, I didn't have any animal following me, and I didn't find any more rabbits who must have jumped over the edge of the river bank. However, for
a Wednesday, a cold, January winter day it really was quite a story.

I kept telling myself, "Keep looking for a story." It finally paid off finding that fifth eagle nest, then finding Donny Paul with Dancer.

Tonight I photographed the full moon rising again. Moon rise was at 6:41 PM, and it always amazes me how fast it comes up. If you blink, you miss it.

Looking forward to Day 16.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 14, Tuesday, 1/22/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

I made my two week milestone today. I arrived early this morning and hiked back to the river. The snow was up to a foot in
some areas, which makes it harder hiking because the snow covers most of the flood brush strewn everywhere. I made it to the
river and the first thing I saw was a rabbit who went over the edge.

The whole story was written in three sets of hops. You could see where he came out from the brush, took two hops, and the
third set is a set that slides off the twenty foot embankment. Hopefully he could swim.

I found that golden eagle again. I simply followed the bantering of the crows chasing him. This bird in flight made the crows
look like sparrows. He perched in the same area again on the same bluff, and then over the two hours flew back far east.
I wonder if he is a nestling from around here.

You can bet I'll be keeping my eyes on him.

Dancer was upset that he was in the area, but he only flew around and didn't fly after him. He checked on me twice. Both times when I moved to new locations. I have never seen the crows go after the bald eagles, now the red winged blackbirds and orioles, that is a different story. So I was surprised to see these crows blackening the sky around the unconcerned golden eagle.

I remember the first spring when I started my eagle project I saw a large brown eagle out flying that same bluff. I wondered back then if it was a golden eagle. Now I'll just have to go explore further east. I'll bet there is a nest back there somewhere.

I moved onward, down my outdoor beat to find Judy, the nest two bald eagle fishing over an open hole in the river. I took a few minutes of video of her, and then a few shots and moved on to the trumpeter swans.

The canada geese had left, but I heard mallards back with them. I just couldn't see them in all the blowing snow. The temperature was -2 but it was bitter cold out there today. The temperature with the wind chills was -30, but it felt even colder because I don't think the winds stopped at all today. I know I'm wind burned and that's with proper gear.

I saw my old friend the belted kingfisher sitting low over his favorite fishing hole. Further down my path I had an unexpected gift waiting when I found the yellow belly sapsucker climbing up a tree, but beyond this colorfully-dressed bird in her fancy checker spot coat, and red hat were at least a hundred robins. Big, plump, young ones gobbling up every frozen grape in their path.

I shot at least fifty shots of them in every imaginable pose. I shot them together and singly, and I don't know if I've taken better robin pictures than today, and I assure you that I have taken thousands of them over my lifetime. I immediately thanked God for their visit. The colors, their song, their return was what I needed today to remind me again, like the faithful return of robins each spring so is the promises of my Lord.

Their appearance after what has already seemed to be a long, snowy winter, and their chirps made this cold January day in Minnesota something to admire. Fall after fall, when they leave us for a season or two I anxiously await their return, usually in January. I always keep my ears open for their song; something I will always wait for.

I found some wild turkey scavenging and scratching up the soy bean fields on my drive home. The Jake above watched me, went back to scratching and eating, and then trotted off.

I picked up my little girl and came home made up some hot chocolate and read a handful of books. I just love reading her books, but the real gift is her reading them to me.

Then I got a call from John Weiss, he's the senior outdoor writer for the Post-Bulletin, our local newspaper. He wanted to know if I wanted to go do a few shots. It was a full moon, the one we had been waiting for, and we had clear skies, and we had the fresh snow. So we met up and I shot some pictures of him snowshoeing against the full moon for a book we are working on. I really like a couple of them.

I'm looking forward to day 15.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 13, Monday, 1/21/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

It was a snowy day in SE Minnesota. School was cancelled for my daughter so I had a little more
time to explore the woods and fields. The temperature was much warmer, too. I experienced 2 to 5 degree weather most of the morning and it was only -10 with the wind chill.

My coyote or wolf was back today too. From the looks of his tracks running along mine from yesterday, he must have followed my every step and circled back. I heard barking on the east bluff when I hiked out this morning. The light was low, very dark and overcast from the falling snow. Too far out to be someone's dog anyway. Besides, these aren't dog tracks. I didn't mention that I heard something yesterday, close to me when I found that fox kill. But today I could hear him again, about thirty to fifty feet away. First, the slow crunch in the snow, one step at a time, then the snap of a stick and a whoosh of grasses folding over. I was probably staring right at him and never saw him.

I'm even more convinced this mystery creature is a wolf, possibly in a black morph stage, just by behavior and that kill yesterday still has me wondering. A wolf devours everything. A coyote leaves bones. (Of course, that's just what I have seen). No one wants to believe that though. They aren't supposed to be in our area, but, I have witnesses, and a small video of their howling last year when I started my eagle project. Everyone forgets they have a territory of around 150 miles, so a pack passing through shouldn't seem that impossible.

Of course, I was the one who found the bear, too. So, I'm just going to have to get the first shots of this critter, this wolf--if that is what it is. I found some hair, but it could have been coyote hair. A lone coyote watching me from a distance and circling doesn't seem as possible as it being a wolf, but I know the distance that it feels safe from me.

I have to admit that his retreat line is encroaching on my imaginery boundary, my safety line.

I think back to last summer when the eagles fledged. The mystery animal followed me a mile down the river and laid back down in the tall grasses. I saw only a splash of black. A few days later, the same. It had a foul smell. A stench that was urine and the worst body odor you can imagine all combined into one animal. Then came the summer flood. Then came one set of tracks on the new sandbar.

But that was another journey.


Today as I traveled on and on, I came upon a canada goose laying on the river all alone. A goose with its head tucked under a wing, but very aware of its surroundings, and if I may . . . it seemed to know it was a "sitting duck." Suddenly, it jumped up on the ice and began walking around and started honking. No one answered. Then I saw an eagle, probably Judy or her mate, and it flew over him. After the eagle passed, the goose laid back down and tucked his head under his wing, still aware of the skies and the earth around him. I heard just the other day about an eagle who snatched a canada goose out of an open-topped pen. It was injured goose who couldn't fly, and the CO gave it to someone.

I found three more canada geese milling about with the trumpeter swans. Then I found that eagle who passed the goose, perched above the north end of the frozen pond. I stopped and photographed it. I'm convinced it was Judy.

All eagle nests were empty today.

I did get to watch a scene with a juvenile red tail hawk who I was photographing and every few seconds it let out a scream. I wasn't sure if it was reacting to me, which seem impossible, or just what was causing his distress. Then he really started screaming out. I looked up and found an adult red tail hawk fly in just a couple trees away from him. The juvenile screamed again, and then quickly flew off. I don't know if that adult hawk was this juveniles parent, or what? As an outsider looking in, it appeared to be a young hawk trying to establish his boundaries in this well-established territory of the adult.

I didn't find Daedee or Dancer today.

As I backtracked my steps the eagle from the pond was gone, and now an eagle was sitting in a tree over the open river a mile away. I'm convinced this was the same eagle, even moreso that it was Judy. I photographed her with all the snow falling, huge snowflakes it made a lovely scene.

I loved watching her eyes following a creature on its way through the woods. The sound of the chunks of frozen ice flowing down the rapidly moving river was as picturesque as it gets here in
Minnesota in a snowstorm. However, the last thing I expected was that God would send in the bluebirds. For ten minutes the eagle and me watched two adult bluebirds with two juvenile bluebirds dipping into the edge of the water
stealing a drink.

As I moved on the roads were becoming difficult to drive on, and then out of the corner of my eye
I saw him. The Mayor, Judy's mate sitting midway up on a tree, perched on a branch about 500 feet away. I quickly turned my camera to him and as I did he looked back at me.

I carefully eyed every detail of his features that I could see through my snow-spattered lens and the heaps of falling snow. I had to be sure it wasn't Daedee or Dancer. I can say with 100% accuracy it was not.

He was perched less than a quarter mile from his nest. Judy was about a 3/4 of a mile away. I have seen the eagle here a couple times now. I am convinced I have finally got my first set
of pictures of Judy and her mate, The Mayor. Now figuring out which is the male and female, I will need a side by side comparison, and if by chance I see them mating, I'll know quickly who is
who for sure. But for now, I'm calling the eagle with the darker yellow beak Judy, and the paler
beak, The Mayor.

One last drive past Daedee and Dancer's nest on my way home, and all I found was falling snow on it.

The drive home was incredibly slow-going. The visibility was less than a 100 ft at times, and the plow trucks had not made it out to the country yet. More snow tonight.

When I arrived home my 14 year old husky came running up, never so glad to see me, and then she spoke, "I love you." I see I'll have to video tape that to prove it. But it is very convincing.


Sheriffs have issued the usual winter storm "No travel, except emergencies" warnings. Hopefully, that will not be the case in the morning. It's never stopped me before.

I'm looking forward to Day 14.

See you on the journey--

Lisa