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