Click banner to go to my host bio and listen to show at showtimes, Fridays at 11 AM EST, or to download archives anytime. This week is Pt. 1 Flashes of Hope, we will air Pt.2 next Friday.
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Hello Eagle Friends,
I dedicate today's blog to The Big Wild and their radio listeners. TheBIGwild.com I Hope you'll check back from time to time and catch up on the stories.
Today was a fantastic day to explore the valley, even if my time was limited. The temperature was 2 above when I arrived and it was minus 15 with wind chill. The skies were blue-friendly with a white washing from clouds who could only veil the surprises that laid ahead.
I found three young bucks. One was a yearling, the other two looked to be almost two years old. They were guarding each other, or so it seemed. I enjoyed watching the little guy who was spunky, watchful, and faced me bravely while eating the ends off the tree saplings.
The largest buck surprised me when he stood up on his two hind legs to reach the higher branches, biting off a deer-sized mouthful of branch tips. I got the impression he was doing this as a favor to the yearling buck so he could feed from the height he could reach.
I moved on to Daedee and Dancer's nest, but didn't find them in their nesting area. By the time I hiked out and was unloading my gear into my truck I looked back to their nest area once again, and this time I could see an eagle flying the back valley above the river.
Judy was up on her nest, Nest 2, arranging her nest sticks. I am sure the eagles are as anxious for spring as all of us, and perhaps one symbol of spring they notice is the return of man in their fields. From winter trout fisherman, to hunters, to horn hunters, and to observers, like me.
As I traveled on I found the trumpeter swans on the backside of their pond, and I thanked God for another day with them. I know I'll arrive one of these days and they'll have left.
No activity on Nest 6 today. Their nest just seems to be a mess. It keeps dropping and sinking on them, spilling out the west side. They have some major work to do on it before they begin nesting in their high rise, "private heights" eagle condo.
My next surprise was so unexpected and what followed that I hope you enjoy this little story.
There I was heading up to check Nest 5 when I saw a large brown and black-masked bandit up to his chest, and with another step, his neck in snow. When I stopped the raccoon froze, not from the cold, but because of my presence. I video taped him, and he had his right arm out in front of him and from my position I didn't even see him blink, and I was close.
I lifted my still camera and shot three or four shots, and that's when he made a break.
I laughed at his choice of hiding spots. Three scraggly, old trees were going to hide this little character? I stepped out of my truck, certain I'd get a shot of him at the top of one of those trees, that is if they didn't blow over in the next wind.
I followed his tracks under some brush and I stood there amazed. "You're a pretty smart coon, huh?" I thought. The fresh, little footprints went under some grasses and hollowed stump buried under the snow.
All I had to do was drop to my knees and I knew I'd be face to face, with the raccoon. The problem was I started thinking of Keith, up at the grocery store, I remember the great detail he went into when he and a friend went and checked out this big old cave. He told me how he went in this cave and a mother raccoon came out and attacked his friend, she almost chewed his face off, and he all his clothing in shreds.
I sure didn't want to go back to my truck face-less. So I stood for a few moment, listening for any sound at all. I was ready so I bent down slowly, looking into the darkness of the hollowed log. Nothing happened. No screams, howls, growls.
I switched my video camera to infrared. I zoomed into the hollow log looking for two eyes reflecting back into my viewfinder. No raccoon. Nothing there at all, that's what I filmed.
I walked back out of the brush, and looked back at the tracks, thinking maybe he had been here earlier, and then ran off an entirely different direction. Maybe I missed it when I stepped out of the truck?
No. Raccoon are not that fast. I was sure I would have seen him if he headed back to the woods where he came from.
I went back to that hollowed log, and I looked up and one of those scrappy trees, then a light flash came down and I just knew that was one tree I wanted for my tree book I'm finishing up this next month. It had something on it that made the tree say, "take this shot." I thought, "Wow, if that raccoon hadn't showed up I wouldn't have even found this tree." That coon brought me right to that tree.
Well, this is where I'd like to say, I took the picture of the tree and left. However, this is where the story unfolds:
So there I was standing over by the hollow log, and that's when I looked down at my right foot and noticed another hollowed log. I suddenly had this terrible thought that the raccoon was right in that second hollow log, ready to jump out and gnaw off my foot. I'd scream, and get myself all tangled in the underbrush, fall into and then under the snow and no one would find me for days.
I took a step and I went through the snowbank, to what I hoped was the ground. That's when I realized this coon had an entire underground maze of connecting tunnels. If I had the gift of smelling through 24 inches of snow, I could have walked to that tree with a little less apprehension of going through, and stepping through all that snow and onto the back of a coon.
I thought light thoughts, and I tread lightly, tip-toed really, to that tree. I put my hands on it looking at a hole in it. "This would make a good squirrel tree" I thought, and I walked to the south side and found some tracks, raccoon tracks just two. Then I got all worried I was going to step on the raccoon and he'd jump out of the snowbank and bite my knees.
I put my hand against the bark and I saw fur poking out of the hole. I found the raccoon. He was in that opening on the tree the entire time watching me. I didn't bring a small lens, nope. I brought my big guns, my 75-300mm, and my 1000mm. I never expected to find him at eye level.
I looked up in the hole and could see him flat against the wall, holding on for dear life. I walked back around to the smaller hole on the north side. I thought I could shoot a couple seconds of video with my infrared on. A view into the raccoon den.
I walked back around to the north side of the tree and quietly lifted the camera into the hole, flipping my viewfinder down so I could see inside.
There was nothing there but chewed up wood. This was not even possible. No raccoon at all. I tilted the camera down and I could clearly see outside the big hole below. I had some good coverage of the coon den complete with walnuts in the corner. Maybe he shared his den with a squirrel? Maybe he just borrowed it on short notice?
I wondered, did that raccoon run out the hole while I walked to the north side? I went back around and looked inside, and sure enough, there was no raccoon. So I went back to the north side, and I lifted my camera out of the hole and that's when I noticed a furry ear and black mask inches away. I was just pulling out the camera when I felt its tail brush against my hand. Oh no, he was going to come at me chew out my eyes, blind me--that's what I deserved for poking my face
in a coon den!
I froze waiting for him to jump out and chew my ear off, I knew I should have worn two hats, I just knew it! I slowly put my hand down, leaving the camera. Then his tail fell out the hole and I knew he was just trying to climb up inside the tree higher.
I took my camera down and told the coon he was safe. I walked around some other trees to throw off my tracks and send any animals that may be following mine to find the coon. I know one tree I'll be checking back on from time to time, that scraggly, old tree holding up the underbrush and vine, hiding the coon inside from the outside world, a smart-thinking coon who prefers daylight to the long, boring nights.
Up the road I saw Sweetie the red-tailed hawk fly past me above my truck. I found nests 3-5 all empty again too. I found my cottontail rabbit subject sitting in his cave. He has become accustomed to my visits. Today he dozed off while I clicked his pictures again.
I was going to call it a day, and skip that last couple miles, but something urged me on, and I never ignore those leadings. I found him just as I took the last bend. The red-shouldered hawk had gobbled up my belted kingfisher, and stole his perch--no--I'm kidding, but he just looked too big for that little perch to be my belted kingfisher.
I have seen three different birds use that exact branch. The sun shines down at such an angle that it must give the best, clearest view of the little sunfish in the pool below. He was watching the fish swimming around.
I was less than twenty five feet from him, eye-level, and he didn't seem to mind me there. I filmed him first, then shot my stills. I took several of him looking up and around, but I am posting the one of him looking down just as he noticed a fish. Can you see that excitement in his body, in his eyes?
It was a wonderful day in the valley. I picked up my daughter from school and we went home to make meatballs, potatoes, green beans, and apple cinnamon muffins for dinner. Then we watched Wild America, a wonderful family movie, a classic.
If you get a chance to listen tomorrow at 8 AM PST, 10 AM CST, 11 EST I have the first part of a two part show on my Lisa's Walk The Talk Show, www.voiceamerica.com, my featured guest is FlashesofHOPE.org. They go around and photograph children who are terminally ill, and make their final portrait, sometimes their only portrait, and give this as a gift for the families. If you get a chance listen, or download the MP3 at your convenience.
Don't forget, I'll be on THEBIGWILD.com radio show all weekend, so check their site for stations in your area.
I'm looking forward to Day 45.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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