My day started out with a quick snapshot of a snowman who caught my eye on the way out of town. I felt his sudden appearance was blog-worthy, so I'm posting him here to invite you to his smile.
Today the temperatures hung around 25 degrees, but the winds were bitter making it feel like it was only about 10 degrees, and sometimes less than that. I found some female pheasants scratching up soybeans in a field. They would kick their legs back and dig deep into the snow to pull up a bean. I pulled over to watch and photograph them until they worked their way out of my "better-than-nothing" cut-off for photos.
I have to mention that there is no form of photography I dislike more than roadside work.
It's too confining, there is almost always traffic problems, and the birds will always fly, and the animals run just outside the angle of view of your lens. Engines scare the birds and animals. Sometimes there is no other way to shoot and you have to photograph from the roadside, but I dislike it. Better to get your feet wet, and camera's used.
The valley was full of eagles today. In fact, every eagle I saw was engaged in some form of pre-nesting or courtship behavior. When I arrived at nest 1, Daedee was in the middle fixing the sticks for her 30 to 35 day incubation time, when that time comes (in about three weeks). Dancer sat with her on the north side. I don't know if I could ever love another pair of eagles as much as these two birds.
I pulled over and walked some open water, looking for aquatic bugs to photograph, but all I found was ditch sunfish. The last flood transported them over to the other side of the road and I don't know how they have survived, but they have. Ditch sunfish--now there is something to hook.
The actual Mayor, Donny, stopped by with his great-grandson. I was glad to see him. I asked him, "How is your eye sight since your cataract surgery?"
He told me, "It's real good now, I can see everything again."
I have been waiting a month to tell him that I named that eagle pair on the nest they found after him and his wife Judy. He was honored. He asked if the trumpeter swans were still down there from where I showed him. I said they have been there every day and I hope no one goes back there or they may scare them off.
I held up my notebook and said, "Day 29" Donny, all because you called me to come down. Thanks for doing that, it has been a great month."
He smiled and bowed his head, "You're welcome." He is such a gentle-hearted man. I am lucky to know him.
Donny said his good-bye, and left to take his great-grandson on the eagle journey. As I was getting gear together to head out to Daedee and Dancer's another man pulled over to inquire who I was. We talked a bit and he asked if I had seen the bear this last year. I chuckled. "Yes, I've seen him."
I asked him about the wolves, and he confirmed them too. He knows some of the area people who own the coveted spots, and he's going to try and get permissions for me to work on my wolf documentary, The Wolves of Whitewater, which presently consists of a video tape of four wolves howling--no picture of them, but the sound is clear; a dozen photos of wolf tracks, and pictures of me with my wolf guides a couple of men from St. Paul, MN, who knew that area and had seen the pure white wolf. Oh, and the spring flood that trapped us--almost, as we started our Wolf Quest 2007.
A quest I have to wait for. All in God's timing, and right now he has me on eagle duty. This man smiled and said, "Eagles and wolves, that's pretty good."
He gave me some contacts of some other people who have maps, old stage coach roads, and maps into those unknown, and untread by human footprint areas. Maybe some hunters have made it back there, but that would be quite a hike to drag a deer out from there.
I found a winter bug, some six-legged critter walking across my snow tracks from yesterday, stepping over the fresh coyote tracks. I couldn't resist, so I laid down and shot his pictures.
Do you know I found over 300 species of insects out in the Minnesota winters of 2005 and 2006? That's all in my Winter Bugs! book.
I have a couple new locals that are interested in displaying my Winter Bugs! Exhibit, so I'm working on those details in my free time. If you are in Wabasha, Minnesota and get a chance to go to The National Eagle Center, please check out my Winter Bugs, and Prelude to Year Four Dancer & Daedee exhibits.
I'll be speaking there next month on my wildlife documentaries and bringing shots from Year 4 Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles, during their Soar with the Eagles Weekend, March 7-9, 2008.
My ankle hurt less after I wrapped it up. After breaking it in out at the Nest 1, I took up following a fresh coyote trail that had narrowed in on a rabbit. There I was, back to old haunts traveling up a ravine. I went up, sliding down on the snow, tripping, and stumbling over broken snow-covered brush, but when I reached the top I was literally in scene straight from Heaven. A snowy meadow complete with chickadee's, cardinals, and blue jays. When they fell silent I could hear the eagles crying out from across the valley. In fact, we were almost eye level now.
For two hours while I was there I watched them soaring and sparing. On and off and then going to their Nest 3 and Nest 4.
When I came down the ravine I thought I found another eagle nest. So I photographed it, and was anticipating the possibility of having 14 eagles in our area. Then I saw two eagles land on it, but they had to be at least a mile a way. The eagles were but specks in my view finder.
I drove the road closely hugging every curve trying to keep the nest in view. Then I realized I was actually just seeing a side view of Nest 5. They were two miles away from me when I first noticed them with my long lens.
I was satisfied with getting at least a dozen shots of one of them working on their nest as the other perched above on a branch over the nest.
Further down the way, I don't even know how I saw them, but my eyes were drawn upwards to two black balls sitting in a tree at the top of a bluff. I put my lens on them and found it was two eagles. I'm confident it was the Nest 6 eagles. Now I know another one of their look out points.
I scanned below them for animal carcasses, but found none. I will watch this area for a mating spot to.
The trumpeter swans stayed another day. While I was there they spent their time digging plants up with those clunky, black, webbed feet. I wondered if they ever tired of the mallards and geese following them. It must be like sitting at dinner with two German Shepherds on either side of you, waiting for you to drop a crumb.
I found Judy on the deer carcass as I was leaving the valley. I got a handful of shots just as the sun came out for the second time today. It came out as I was photographing the nest 5 eagles, too. With all eagles accounted for, I drove on heading home, but first stopped to shoot a picture of "sweetie" the red tail hawk who I see every day. I sometimes wonder why he shows up at that perch every day about the time I'm leaving.
He reminds me of "Whisper" another red tail hawk I spent three years with in another area. He always stayed close, curious maybe as to who I was.
Tonight I made goulash, cheese bread, carmel-chocolate brownies, cottage cheese and mandarin oranges with berry-blast Kool-aid. The dogs love goulash night. Try as I may, I just can't seem to figure out how to make goulash for three people. I made it for so many years for our big family growing up, and my step kids, that I just can't seem to cut the recipe.
Then again, have you ever known a dog to turn down home-cooked food?
I'm looking forward to Day 30!
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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