Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was a scorching hot day for Minnesota. It was 55 degrees when I reached the valley this morning and 73 degrees when I left this afternoon. The skies were hazy and we had a nice brisk wind most of the day.
I hiked to nest 2 and spent most of the morning with Judy and The Mayor. Both eagles were in the nest area on the nest tree, and nearby. The Mayor was obviously on nest duty, and he would fly off and return, fly off circle, return, and do it again. Finally, he must have woke up Terry Gail, who began peeping at his presence.
I moved on to nest 6 and found a picture perfect setting of a male and female wood duck. This is how you'd expect to see them at a Wal*Mart, in the garden section at Menards, or rendered in some watercolor painting. However, this was as real as it gets, and both of them turned their heads towards me almost as if they knew how to pose for the camera.
Nest 6 Linda was on the nest, and Dick was perched above her. I couldn't see their eaglet(s), but I trust I will by the end of the week just as soon as the he is tall enough to stand over the edge of the sticks.
There were only a dozen pelicans on the marshes by nest 6. I enjoyed watching two of them bloating up their pouches on their bill, and contorting them in ways I never knew were possible. I shot at least 40 shots of two of them with, literally, their beaks turned inside out. No kidding. That must be how they get the goop out they collect from the pond scum?
There's a marketing name for you, "Pelican Goop".
I moved on to nest 5, but on the way came across a small garter snake who had been hit on the road. His guts were spilling from under the scales on just one side, otherwise, he looked alright. I picked him up and drove him over to the edge of a marsh where he could soak and maybe survive this injury? I checked on my way out and he was gone from the area.
I have seen animals survive much worse. Like the oppossum whose eye was popped out hanging next to his cheek, and the deer, the buck who had been hit and both front legs amputated to the knees, yet he ran on those knees. He did die shortly thereafter.
I found the nest 5 eagle on her nest and shot a few scenes of that area.
Nest 3 and 4 eagles were on their nests, up and apparently feeding eaglets. As I turned to leave a five foot fox snake appeared next to me. Their markings at fist glance always look like a rattlesnake, and they'll even coil and rattle their tail if provoked. I only stepped around him which sent him into a winding race back into the ditch full of water.
There was a rustling in the leaves and grasses and I heard another large snake, but I didn't see it. I watched a garter snake swim across the marsh and lay there floating on top. The fox snake, however, he dove under the water and then popped up and rose up several inches out of the water leaving his four and half feet of scales beneath the moss and algae.
I saved Daedee and Dancer's nest for last. I was wishing I hadn't used all my morning up already on snakes and other critters, but I had one goal only for today and that was to come out with a shot of Daniels Charlie.
May I present to you, Daniels Charlie with Daedee. Alright, so the shot only shows fuzz, but it's him, and I have two more shots just like it. Then he ducked down under the sticks. His hiding met with good timing for me as I only had sixteen minutes to get my gear and hike out, and that was pushing it.
I did however, capture some of the first video footage of Daniels Charlie today and he has a bright yellow beak dipped in black and like all their babies, the cutest expression with an inquisitive look about him. This eaglet will surely keep mom busy this season. In another photo, I can see white fuzz, which is likely his twin, but again, I need to see both heads to confirm that.
It's supposed to storm tonight and tomorrow, so I'm sure photo opportunities will be a little more challenging, but they'll be there.
I picked Em up from school, and we came home worked on illustrations for one of our books.
I'm looking forward to day 105.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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