Hello Eagle Friends,
I dedicate today's blog to Kenny T. of N.J., who sent me a letter, an inquiry on my Winter Bugs! exhibit and book today.
Today was so cold that you would freeze to the ground if you stood too long so I kept moving. It was minus 9 degrees below zero when I left Rochester, but warmed up to minus 8 degrees by the time I hit the valley. It was minus 27 below zero with wind chill, but those blue skies invited me outside anyways.
I brought my field dog Dale with me today. I couldn't resist how he parked himself at my back door and whined when I was leaving this morning. Dale is still very much a puppy and needs to feel like he is working at all times.
Once in the field, he has tried carrying my bags, he even carried a ten foot pole the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources), let me borrow during the first nesting season. He drug that pole through 6-8 foot tall grasses.
He is obedient to my commands, unlike his sister. Usually I have to tell him "Go get Dani" because of her "selective hearing"problem, she won't come on command half the time. But Dale will go over to her, bark at her, give her a nudge.
He does keep her in line though. That's why I like him with me. He knows the field, the noises and what should be there and who shouldn't. He alerts me to approaching trouble and will sit as quiet as a field mouse.
Last February we had some wolves surround us, but I have to say they were coyote, because I don't have photo proof. Only a short video clip of four of them howling--no yips. We crossed a territory line coming in and Dale urinated on another's urine marking.
I will find those wolves, right after big foot.
I saw Dancer at the nest area when I was parking, but he was gone before I even left the truck. My guess he was gathering sticks for the nest.
Dale was so preoccupied with diving in the deep snow drifts, he didn't even realize how cold was. I didn't stay out long, only because he was with.
He gave me a high five, one of his favorite winter games. He likes to knock the snow out of my hand and catch it.
By my old marsh project I noticed a pair of eagles on the wing pair hunting. One dove one way, the other eagle came at the opposite angle. I watched these eagles for about ten minutes before they both paired up in a tree.
My guess is it was an otter, or muskrat they were after. I could hear mallards alerting each other but none of the ducks left, which told me it was a fur-bearer. It couldn't have been a rabbit or they wouldn't have dove at the river.
From their tree post they both looked back at me, peering behind the tree branches. I think they believed I couldn't see them. I think the close up shot shows how private they are.
After a few minutes the one eagle went back to hunting. It was likely Nest 3 or Nest 5 eagles. It was Daedee or Dancer, and it wasn't Nest 2, Nest 4, or Nest 6 as those eagles were all accounted for.
Could have been a migrating pair.
Dale and me moved up to Nest 6 and I loved listening to the two eagles calling each other. The mate had brought in some food, and the two eagles were crying over who got to eat first.
The male left and gave the female the food.
As she fed, tearing at what looked like a fish, the male returned to the nest area and scared up the canada geese.
The geese all took flight to an adjoining pond, and the swans stood up looking around, but went back to preening and drinking from the pond.
I tried my super spotting scope, and I'm convinced after only two days that this piece of glass
really is not much use at all.
As I remounted my big lens the male came back into the nest as the female ducked down and over the fish, letting out some loud vocals so her mate wouldn't steal her portion.
Further up the road I found Sweetie, the red-tailed hawk on a perch looking back at me. I couldn't find the rabbit today, the cave cottontail, and I keep hoping I am just missing him.
Two eagles were in the air locking talons by the bluffs near Nest 5, they rose 1000 feet or more and would circle each other locking for a second and by that time they'd be at the height of the bluff and do it all over again.
On my way to Nest 3 and 4, Dale came up to the passenger seat next to me crunching on something. "Whatcha got there?"
He dropped a pack of saltine crackers in my hand, perfectly crushed by his square canines that he wore off chewing cement blocks as a pup.
Then he went in back and I kept smelling BBQ, and I thought it was dog gas, then I thought I was just thinking too much about making that BBQ chicken tonight, per Em's request.
That's when I looked in my rear view mirror, and there was big Dale, meeting me in that little rectangular mirror. This time however, it wasn't the big, dopey expression that stole my heart. No. This time it wash his smiling right back at me with a bright yellow corn cob pithed sideways in his mouth. I was laughing so hard I pulled over and stopped the truck.
That's when he dropped it, thinking he was getting out, and I turned just in time to see it rolling across the back seat. Of course, by now Dale was woofing down a cheeseburger he pulled out from the magic-burger-maker I must have in the back of my truck somewhere--thank you Ford, after-which he went right back to licking out the newly, licked-cleaned, white doggie box-- our left overs from Famous Dave's BBQ.
I guess the sausage biscuit from McDonald's this morning wasn't enough.
We left the valley and I got home early enough to pull some chicken out, that I later BBQ'd and cooked up. Dale had to sit through the wafting scent of BBQ chicken, along with the blueberry custard, red-skinned potatoes, and broccoli with six cheeses.
I thank you God for this wonderful day. Even though we have -35 and worse weather moving in tonight I don't mind. I don't even mind the new snow, or the newly posted wind chill advisories. I wouldn't even doubt they cancel schools again tomorrow. This is Minnesota after-all, and by golly, I'm proud to be a Minnesotan.
I'm looking forward to Day 43.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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