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Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was an exceptional day for opportunity. I drove through a light drizzle. Some surrounding schools had two hour delays today with the sleet-covered roads. It was 32 degrees when I arrived in the valley. The heavy cloud cover and misty bluffs gave a shadowless light, with deeply saturated golds and browns.
As I hiked to the river I found a couple mushrooms that had pushed through the snow and I found their muted orange color appealing on such a drab day.
I hiked past the eagle nest and I sat down on the edge of the river, listening to its fast spring pace while waiting to document any eagle activity. As I sat there I noticed little raindrops on top of the mosses and took that as an opportunity to shoot the minute water world.
Dancer flew in about forty feet away and announced his arrival. Daedee merely peeked up, which was her signal that she wanted to stay on the nest. She'll stay on her eggs at least four hour at a time, sometimes longer on drippy, rainy days.
Maybe it's like how I sometimes feel, I'd rather sit on my couch on my porch and listen to the rain, than to hike out and sit it in. Then again, if I did that, I'd miss my documentary so my porch time is reserved for late nights or very early mornings only.
Dancer preened and as he fluffed out his feathers I took a few shots and he turned looking back down at me and flew off to the north. I decided to hike out and find out what was going on to the north.
I arrived at nest 2 to find Judy doing well sitting on her egg(s). Today was 25 days. We could have eaglets in three days, but it'll probably be next week. My attention was drawn to some eaglets sparring up above her nest and dropping down. The Mayor had to fly in and circle to lead them out.
It sure appeared to be Damian and Dorothy. Then I moved on and found the two immature eagles a half mile north. I photographed them heavily. I was just sure that was Damian and Dorothy. Their beak coloration, their tails, the shapes of their heads. Then I spoke out their names and they both turned and looked right at me. The adult eagles didn't, so that made me wonder more.
I am only 98% sure this is them, or two eaglets, who are likely male and female, who are about a year old, and have the same appearances as Damian and Dorothy, and yes, that is possible.
I sat with them almost a half hour. Dorothy flew up to the sky, and Damian watched her--just like he always had, always the follower. He stayed though, for another five minutes and then took off and joined Dorothy who continually circled him.
Nest 6 had both eagles on the nest when I arrived. This was day 10 incubation for them. The one eagle was laying on the egg(s), and the mate feeding. When it had finished feeding it walked around to the east of the nest and laid down by its mate. Maybe that's what they do on rainy days.
I moved on and could hear the sandhill cranes, and I was determined to get a good shot today. I could not find them. I could hear them, and almost locate them by their sounds projection, but I'm telling you from experience you could stand right next to one and not see it.
If I were a manufacturer of camouflage clothing, I would fashion it after a pair of sandhill cranes. For it wasn't until they jumped and down doing their crane dances, that I even noticed them, less than 50 feet from me. I watched, and I shot their pictures, and my video camera battery died. I expected that--I forget to charge it last night.
I was very pleased to have this experience, but even happier to come home with new images of their behavior. Then they walked on the ice and blended into the tall grasses.
The nest 3 mate was perched by its nest while its mate brooded their 10 day old egg(s).
Nest four was on their nest for day 7, their one week milestone.
No cottontail today. Nothing else extraordinary, but I thanked God for this journey and the opportunity to capture his
creatures dancing, flying, and returning after such a long absence.
I'm looking forward to day 71.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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