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Hello Eagle Friends,
Today we had a wintery mix of rain turning to sleet, that later turned to snow, then sleet, then the rain again, and by the time we left the valley the temperature tonight it had dropped to 31 degrees and was sleeting again.
There was a semi that crashed, just miles away from us, luckily we avoided that. Many schools were closing early today due to the weather. There was a van in the ditch with two high school kids, we stopped to help them, but they had help on the way. The winter weather just won't leave us Minnesotans alone.
Em and me started our day at the Creatures of the Deep Exhibit at Quarry Hill Nature Center. I had hoped if we waited long enough the snow and sleet would turn to rain. My plan worked. It did, but then we hit the snow and sleet storm down in the valley, same storm, an hour later.
While at the exhibit, I ran into an old friend, Deb. We talked for a long time while our kids dug out the dinosaur fossil with their paint brushes. Deb is an 8th grade science teacher now and how it seems like it was just yesterday we ourselves were our kids ages now, discovering, learning, and exploring.
Em and me hiked out to our White Wolf post at nest one. We got caught in a downpour, so we sat under my coat until it let up. It was day 28 incubation, but there was no way we were going to see eaglets today, on any nest, in this weather. We moved on to nest 2, thankful we had hiked our mud critters out yesterday, or they would have all returned to the earth by the time we arrived today.
The pussy willows were blooming, Larry told me that the other day, and I guess I forgot to look closer until today. They were so pretty in the rain and snow. I couldn't see which eagle was up on nest 2, but there was an eagle. This is day 39 for them.
We must have an eaglet by now. I'm hoping in the next three days I'll get a shot of them.
We moved on to nest 6, there was nothing going on there at all. Hardly even a duck around. Linda or Dick was up on their nest for day 23 incubation.
Further along I found several dozen common mergansers swimming together and a few geese. The snow and sleet made those back country roads slick, and I only drove another 100 feet when I looked at an upright brown tubular object sticking straight up out of the ice.
I pulled over and grabbed for my lens as I was 100% sure that brown object had not been there these past 83 days. The object turned his head towards me watching me watch him. Then he dropped down under the ice. I got four shots. First one was blurry, the second one was blurry, the third one I had my exposure right but was really blurry, and the fourth, well, it was a good documentary photo, a shot that only recorded "river otter was here."
"Em, look, the otter!"
I'd only waited four years for this shot, nothing to get excited about. Four years, one shot for each year. None of them any good. I watched, and watched; waited and waited, but no otter returned. The snow-sleet mixture was coming down harshly and I hated to think of my drive for the next 6 miles.
Then he came back up, popping up through the ice and looking at me with his head barely above water. He was curious about me and he came in for a closer look. Then he dove down again and popped up through the ice fifty feet to the north. This time he had a bluegill fish in his mouth and he tossed it around, chewing it up and swallowed it.
I photographed him using up my first 2 gig flash card. He must have eaten at least 8 fish in my presence. I couldn't tell you how many he ate under the water. I don't even know how he could fit all those fist-sized fish in his three foot body. I wish the lighting could have been better, I was shooting at 1/40th to 1/60th of a second pushing between ASA 800 and ASA 1600.
Sometimes it's better to get a shot and put up with the "noise" or grain than to not have any shot at all. After all, this is a documentary, not Lisa's Fine Art Photography class.
We moved on to get the last three nests covered before it was dark.
Nest 3, 4, and 5 were all on their nests. I couldn't see much as the fog had set in on the back valley and the dark shadows had already consumed the light of the nests. I could see the eagles on their nests. I'm anxious for some sunny spring weather, just
like everyone else is.
Then again I will go to my grave saying my best opportunities come on the snowy-sleet-thunderstorm weather. As I headed back I found an immature eagle up in a tree. He was rain-soaked and then he flew over and joined an adult eagle in a nearby tree. The adult lifted and flew off to the river, and the eaglet followed him.
As I doubled back we found the otter still popping up and down in the ice, trying to crawl across it without falling through, and then I found the second otter. As it swam by me it lifted its head up and the first otter got up on the ice and stretched looking at the second otter. I hoped to see them together, but they were more interested in gobbling up bluegills.
I don't know how these otters have survived all the eagles above them either. I would think they would be an easy target for an eagle. Most of all I hope I don't have to wait four more years to get more shots of them in the wild. It would be nice to get them with some sunshine on their fur and highlights in their eyes, but then nothing says Minnesota river otter more than this character today with the ice all around him, chomping down fish.
Em wanted me to include the shot of the blandings turtle from Quarry Hill today. She loves this shot. So, I hope you find it just
as appealing.
I'm looking forward to day 84.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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