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