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Hello Eagle Friends,
It was a wonderful day in the valley today. The skies were blue, the air was cool, and the fields full of spring activity. The temperature was 33 when I arrived and about the same when I left tonight.
I found an eagle on nest 7 today when I arrived and when I left tonight I watched an eagle fly towards the nest but he disappeared into the dark shadows of the trees so I can't be sure that is where he went.
I started at nest 2 today. I spent about an hour trying to see if any eaglets had hatched. The winds were strong, 25-35 mph, so the eagles were huddling the nest and their eggs. I was there when Judy and The Mayor made their nest duty switch. Every day I learn just a little more about this young pair of eagles from their favorite perch trees to their favorite entry side of the nest.
Maybe tomorrow I'll get to show you the eaglet?
Nest 6 area was bursting with activity. The geese were constantly fighting and I captured many goose fights. Linda was up on the nest for day 24 incubation. About twenty minutes into sitting an immature eagle flew in and landed by the marsh and began preening.
Linda let out a vocalization that brought Dick, her mate in. He sat on the north side of this immature eagle. It didn't look like their 2007 eaglet. It was probably just a migrating eagle. Every move this eagle made Linda noticed and sent an alarm call to Dick, who was watching too.
Then a second immature eagle flew in about 40 minutes later, but this one perched on a back oxbow and sat in the shadows of the trees so I couldn't see him.
Dick ignored this eagle too, but from what I have learned the immature eagles are ignored, unless they are in their immediate nest area.
I moved on looking for the otters, but found none. I will get those sunny day shots -- one day.
I found the nest 5 eagle on their nest for day 33 incubation. I expect an eaglet there by the end of the week.
Nest 3 was sitting, for day 24. There were several red-winged blackbird males singing their little hearts out, but no females have arrived yet.
I found a pair of shovelers, a few lesser scaup, a pair of wood ducks, and of course mallards stirring up the various marshes.
The nest 4 eagle was on their nest for day 21 incubation and there was an eagle circling the frozen marsh below it, and I would like to say that it was the nest 4 mate, but it could have been any of the migrating eagles.
On my return trip back I found several flocks of ringed bill gulls and I enjoyed photographing them. I loved to listen to their cries and watch them dive, take a fish, and swallow it in the air before another gull snatches it from them.
There were two sandhill cranes on a back pond and the male began his crane dance while courting his female. That dance is something to watch with their long wings flailing about while leaping in the air with half bent legs and bobbing up and down.
The sun was already at the bluff line and I knew I only had an hour before it would be dark. I don't know how my days go so fast out in the wild. There were two sandhill cranes fishing on the edge of a marsh. I laughed at how they would jab their heads under the water and zig zag all around and almost every time come up with a fish. The lighting was so beautiful on them with the water reflecting long shadows and ripples onto their sandy brown feathers.
I saved nest 1 for last. I had barely taken fifty steps into the field when coyotes began yipping in a solid circle around me. They were close, maybe 200 feet but not much more than that. They never come in that close so I was uneasy with why they were calling out at my presence today. The only thing I could think of was one was already in my area I sit, and the others were calling it out, maybe that is why one sounded so exceptionally close.
I found an 8th nest today too. I am not convinced that it is active and I would have explored it further except that it was a good mile hike back and the sun was setting when I found it.
I'm looking forward to day 85.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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