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.
For those that are going to my Lisa's Walk The Talk Show, this site is temporarily forwarded here.
Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was by far the nicest winter day we have had in at least a month. The temperatures reached 34 degrees while we were in the valley. Em came with me today and we had a wonderful mom-daughter day. Of course, her only request was that we had
to stop in the little town on the way to my eagle project and pick up a couple pickled eggs.
The clerk laughed as I brought our two $.50 ivory colored pickled eggs to the counter.
"Do you like pickled eggs?" I asked the clerk.
"No." But my daughter sure does," she replied.
"Well, have you ever tried them?"
She laughed, "Nope."
"I leaned over the counter where I saw Keith the owner sitting in back working on his paperwork, "I think they ought to make
every Saturday a pickled egg, taste-testing day for all the employees so you can up-sell the customers-how 'bout that
Keith?"
Keith laughed, "How you doing‘ Lisa?"
Well we said our goodbyes. As we walked outside there was a truck with a couple of old aged Irish setters sitting and waiting for their master. So we stopped to admire them and moved onto the eagle project.
I can't believe I carried those two eggs out to our post by the eagle nest area and didn't loose them in the snow. Em and me
took a shot eating our eggs while waiting for the eagles.
Every so often we'd toss a snowball at each other just to make the other laugh. Then we hiked out and moved on to the other nests. Em colored her animal book and helped spot the swans and other wildlife along the way.
The trumpeter swans stood up together when the eagles came in frightening up the mallards. It was no surprise they dove in front of the swans and landed. Those mallards almost always take cover next to the wings of the trumpeter swans.
The one swan laid back down on the ice and the other swan stretched his wings. Then Linda flew over and joined Dick on his perch and that's when I left. They must be getting close to mating again, and maybe, just maybe by next weekend they'll be sitting?
That's a possibility, but in all likelihood, it will probably be around the 6-10th of March before anyone starts laying and sitting.
We found what I think is a juvenile red-shouldered hawk. Let me know if I am wrong. The coloration didn't look right for a red-tailed hawk. He was hunting in an area that would support a red-shouldered hawk nest. Maybe I'll see him again and get some shots from his front side where I can see his coloration.
We found some mallards gathered together in a small opening in the ice. We looked for the cottontail, but didn't find him
today. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at the cave of his and not try and at least envision his big feet scratching his ear, or his droopy eyes. I'm still trying to determine if he is the white-tailed jackrabbit, said to be here, or if he is a cottontail.
After seeing how large he was yesterday for the first time out of his cave, and seeing that huge white tail, I really wonder if
he is a cottontail.
We found all the nests empty today except for Nest 1, Dancer and Daedee's. Dancer was sitting up on the west perch watching
the river.
We found a small flock of robins drinking cool sips of melted water. There were about twenty birds in every shade of orange breast and brown and black. They were dipping and diving over that sunfish-filled ditch.
I only had a minute of video tape left, and just told Em, "Now we'll find something really cool because I'm out of tape."
Sure enough, not even a mile further I saw her. "Look-she's hanging by her tail!"
"What"
"Oh--she's going to fall in the river!"
"Mom--what is it?"
"That-there’s a . . . oh no . . . an opossum." I watched as this two foot opossum dangled with one paw holding her weight over the river. "What on earth is she doing?"
"I don't know."
"Here." I tossed Em the video camera, "Use the video tape up."
We watched the furry rodent scramble back up the scruffy tree and weave her way through vines, and chew through the vines before she scooped up a handful of dried grapes. "Look at her Em, she holds them in her hand just like we would."
The opossum smacked her jaws eating up the stems, the grapes and then started looking for more.
It was a great day in the valley.
I'm looking forward to Day 47.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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