Hello Eagle Friends,
We had a beautiful spring day here in southeast Minnesota. The temperature was 55 degrees when I arrived in the valley and 61
degrees when I left.
While I shot pictures at nest 7, my friend I call, MN DOT, who works for Minnesota Dept. of Transportation stopped by to say hello while on his break. He was telling me of some neat do-it-yourself projects like building your own solar panel out of pop cans, and building a fuel conversion kit.
He said it was about $350 for the kit, or $22 bucks for the book. He's a cool guy that has been a great friend over my four years in the valley. I've never met people as kind as I have down there.
I found no activity on nest 7 or 8. On my first stop at nest 2 there was nothing going on there either. Not even a floating feather from a passing eagle.
As I traveled along I found the two goose families on the first marsh up by the shore. The one family was now down to two goslings, and the other goose family adopted one of the first families goslings. We'll see how many are left tomorrow.
I moved on to nest 6 where I found Linda up on the nest with her twins. Dick flew off and he was on a mission. After a lap around the marsh he flew to a tree with bare branches, began his descent, snapped off a branch and flew it back to his nest.
Then he and Linda laid it on the east side of the nest.
All day I wondered if the twins were a little to rambunctious and this was their idea to corral them in so they didn't fall off the nest. Both the eaglets viciously slapped Linda as she fed them. They are the most aggressive 3 week eaglets I have ever seen.
They literally forced her to fly up two times to get out of their strikes at her for food.
The nest 5 goslings were the only ones I found today, down another gosling.
I moved on to nest 5, but all was quiet there too. No sign of any eaglets or the parents.
As I moved to nest 3, I came up on a pair of sandhill cranes. The male was doing a courtship dance so I stopped for some shots.
A nest 3 the male was just leaving the nest and taking his post up on the dead trees on the south end of the marsh. It sure looks like there are twins on that nest too, but I'll have to take some time and hike back there this week.
The nest 4 eagle was on their nest.
Then I saw the controlled burn area nest box goose with her ten little goslings and her mate trailing her. How she managed to
keep all those goslings hidden from my view is amazing. As they swam east, the first geese with goslings, the nest 3 goose family was swimming to the reeds south of the marsh. Sadly, they are down to their last gosling at nine days of age.
These goslings are in the most predator heavy territory in the valley. I don't expect more than 3 goslings to survive to adult from the mom with the ten, and the other pair with only one gosling, I hope this one makes it.
I went back to nest 2 and found 33 day old Terry Gail laying across the top of the nest asleep. The parents were no where that I could see, but that doesn't mean they weren't watching from a tree where the foliage has camouflaged them.
At nest 1 I found Dancer up on the tip of the nest tree when I arrived. He was letting out soft chirps. I sat down and he was
focused on something to the north of us. I couldn't see the eaglets, and I wondered where Daedee was.
Dancer left and went down to the river. I thought he was going to come back with a fish, but he instead appeared to have water
in his beak. He dipped down in the nest and I could see him touching his eaglets through the sticks, but not good enough to show that he was giving them water. Then he lifted his head up with his beak slightly open.
I don't know for sure, but it appeared that he brought them a drink. I have never watched that before. Then Daedee flew in
with a fish. He moved to the north limb. Daedee began feeding the eaglets immediately. She had fish mash all over her beak
when she finished, but I never saw the eaglets today.
I headed back to Rochester as I had to get the bunny ready for show-n-tell.
He was a sure hit, everyone fell in love with his giant furry feet and his lovely mane. Most of the kids had never seen a lionhead
rabbit before, and truly, I have never seen one as handsome as our Jackie.
He stole the show, until the 7 week old, black pug puppy showed up. Then it was a split audience on who was cuter. I don't know if I could even pick, as both were adorable. After school we decided Jackie could come visit my grandparents who enjoyed seeing him. Then I took some pictures of Em with Jackie out by my grandma's red tulips. Those tulips are something
grandma has looked forward to seeing every year.
We picked Dave up and went and visited his parents and we got to meet their newly adopted animal pound dogs. I have to say one is handsome and he is going to give them a run for their time but I think once the puppy in him settles down, he'll make them a wonderful companion dog, the little poodle reminds me of our first poodle, and he adores his new masters.
It was a wonderful day, and I thank God for all the blessings of family and friends.
I'm looking forward to day 123.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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