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Hello Eagle Friends,
Today spring officially arrived! The official spring equinox time was 5:48 AM, and I was just waking up for the morning. I arrived in the valley a few hours later in under sunny skies and enjoying a comfortable 35 degree day.
The birds were everywhere around me singing, flying, swimming, fighting for territory, guarding their mates on the nest, or nesting. I decided to do Daedee and Dancer's nest last today. I headed to nest 2 where I listened carefully for the cry of an eaglet, but felt only the wind. I wasn't disappointed, nature will be calling me to try again tomorrow.
I moved on to nest 6. Linda was on the nest. Dick was above her flying with their 2007 eaglet. I think I'll name him Badger, for he is a persistent immature eagle who doesn't seem to want to leave his parents. I've seen this twice with first born eaglets, their desire to remain even while the parents are nesting the second year in a row.
The female common merganser had three suitors, and spent most of her time snapping her beak at them, but swam the lead. Funny thing happened, I noticed that a lot of woman are cutting their hair short in the back of their heads lately, and I'm no hair expert, but I do notice a resemblance with this new style being fashioned after the female common merganser. I told my husband these ladies have merganser hair styles, and now everywhere we go he whispers, "There's another merganser."
The mergansers quickly lifted to the air and switched to the other side of the marsh during a knock down fight the Canada geese were involved in. It appeared that there were 3 pair of geese lined up to try the new nest box. The female would fly up to the nest box while her mate took on the other challengers.
At one point a goose came down (above shot) and knocked his opponent down on the ice and he jumped on him while the poor guy on the ice laid "spread eagle" or I should say "spread goose" and the attacker jumped on his back and pounded his beak into the almost knocked silly goose.
I've heard they can kill another goose, but geez--over a wood nest box with fresh straw?
I moved on and photographed nest 5 eagle on her nest for day 22. I can't believe how fast these days have gone. Nest three and four eagles were on their nests.
So I took some time and photographed some aquatic insects underwater where the marsh had finally melted on the edges.
There staring right at me was a nymph of a damselfly, or maybe it was another insect. He even walked up to the top of the water, staying underneath almost curious to what I was doing.
I found snails, amphipods, water daphnia, diving beetles, snow fleas, and a fishing spider swirling around on the top of the water as the wind moved him from pebble to pebble.
As I headed to my truck, I thought how much my life was like that little fishing spider being moved from one story to another, miniature world to magnificent wonders by the first winds of spring.
I moved on to Daedee and Dancer's nest, I wasn't there long when I saw Daedee come in and land on their nest. Dancer the male, stood up and he left to fly around as his incubation shift was over for awhile. He saw me and flew up my direction, and as I took a few shots I started laughing.
On this first day of spring I didn't expect rainbows, but I thought maybe I had a slim chance of seeing a white dove with an olive branch in it's beak. I kept looking for anything that looked like a promising sign, something from above, something that promised me a wonderful spring season, something that said, "God's blessing are on this years project." I know God has a sense of humor he's proven that time and time again.
They say eagles are messengers from Heaven. As The Dancer, the male eagle I love so dearly flew over me I didn't notice any doves but I did see a branch sticking out of his white tail feathers. (Photo above).
We have a winter storm watch tonight with up snow accumulating all day tomorrow, 6-8 inches is expected.
I'm looking forward to day 73.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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