Day 35, Tuesday, 2/12/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

The weather was beautiful today. In fact, it was 15 degrees above zero for most of my day. We only got an inch or so of snow, nothing to complain about, but they say another storm will be hitting tomorrow or Thursday.

I discovered lots of active wildlife today. 

When I arrived a red-tailed hawk was sitting on a deer carcass feeding.  This is the second day in a row I have seen this one on that same carcass. When he left,  a male downy woodpecker, the one who had been watching from afar, perched in the tangled gooseberry branches, flew in certain not to miss his opportunity. 

Joining him was his co-heart, a hungry little chickadee. Both fed easily on the meat this deer carcass provided.  One watched as the other fed. Both would fly off and return together. I watched this for over a half hour, the two birds feeding and guarding each other.

Along came the red-bellied woodpecker who flew down and frightened the smaller birds away. No "little miss muffet" story here, that's just the way of it in the woods. The bigger you are the better and longer you feed. The smaller you are the faster you dart in; snatch your bite, and get out before the big guys come back. I guess I could say, "Small and agile feeds a flock; big and vocal feeds a lot." 

Daedee and Dancer's nest was empty, and so was Judy and the Mayor's, and nests 3-5. However, I did find Judy picking the bones on the deer carcass, but I didn't stop for any shots. I moved on to see if the trumpeter swans stayed another day.

They did. I enjoyed watching the one step up onto the ice and drying off his large wings. Then he preened while the other laid tucked in a white oval watching with her head turned on him.
Then he laid down next to here. 

Nest 6 eagles were actively working on their nest today too. I am still learning all their favorite perch trees and have come to the conclusion that they sure like sitting high on the bluffs. They are like people who build on top of the bluffs. I guess even eagles have their valley preferences. They are the only ones out of all six nests who have chosen this height both for nesting and perching.

I kept watch for that black opossum, but as the days pass, I get the distinct feeling that I missed my "Kodak moment" and have to accept that I may not ever get another chance at seeing him.
I found a Nest 3 eagle up close. I spent some time photographing it. I'm sure this is the female, just due to the size, but I could be wrong. I drove on and when I backtracked the eagle was sitting back closer to its nest, watching it from a perch and it called out to another eagle, but I couldn't find the other bird.

I took another road and saw a hawk-sized bird up in a tree, and I thought it was "Whisper" the red-tailed hawk I spent three years documenting. Instead I found a red-shouldered hawk peering down at me, curious about my sudden presence. He was watching something moving on the blue, trickling stream below. Maybe a mouse, maybe a fish? 

They say the red-shouldered hawks are the most vocal of all our hawks. This one didn't disappoint me when he suddenly flew off towards the bluffs in pursuit of something and screamed continually. It cried much like a catbird, except with a longer drawn out call and a louder pitch.

As I travelled down to the end of the road I found a pond full of mallards. It was interesting watching them waddling along the ice and falling through it one by one. There was one hen however, who had stayed back watching all the others cross from open water to the ice, and fall through again.  

She paddled around for a few time after all the others had crossed, then she stepped up on the ice about twenty feet to the right to where all the others had all got up and fell back in.  Seemed she didn't like the unexpected break-through as much as the others. 

I called it a day after that last outdoor scene, thanking God for yet another day with his creation.

I came home and made spaghetti with my homemade meatballs that are so delicious that my daughter wanted a meatball plate instead.   I get such a kick out of her trying to snag all my recipes. I don't use cookbooks or cards. She keeps watching and writing down all the ingredients and teases that she is going to sell them on ebay. 

I'm looking forward to Day 36!

See you on the journey--

Lisa