Hello Eagle Friends,
Today turned out to be a fantastic photo opportunity day for me. It was raining most of the day in the cool 44 degree weather, but I made the best of it. Em had a headache this morning and so I kept her home, but she was feeling a little better around noon, so I asked if she wanted to come swamping with me and get some fresh air?
There was no activity on nest 7 or 8.
Daedee, the nest 1 female, was completely rain-drenched when we arrived. She was on her nest brooding over 9 day old Daniels Charlie. I could hear him pitch a couple times, but Daedee wasn't not going to let one single rain drop touch her little one. No sign of Dancer in the area but I'm sure he was watching from afar.
I hiked out and moved on. There were several die-hard trout fisherman out today throughout the valley. None of them stayed long, so I don't know if that was a sign fishing was so good they caught their limit, or they simply threw in their lines for another day.
Judy was soaked as badly as Daedee, but it didn't stop her from leaning over and feeding her eaglet, 11 day old Terry Gail in the rain. I thought I saw two fuzzy heads, but sometimes one is the head and the other is the eaglets body. They look a lot like a snowman leaning over their nests.
Dick was just flying in to nest 6 when we arrived. He landed in the nest next to Linda who was on what I believe is a few day old eaglet. She got up to leave, but then she decided not to go out in the rain which started pouring down just as she was leaning out of the nest.
So Dick left, and he flew a loop scared up the ducks, and landed above Linda on one of three favorite perches above their nest.
There was a great blue heron catching fish in the shallows again. This is one of his favorite spots in the afternoon.
There were at least a hundred white pelicans swimming close to the marsh edge, "Em, close your eyes and climb up here, if you can."
She climbed up by me and opened her eyes, "Mom, what are those huge white birds?"
"Pelicans."
"Oh--they are so pretty."
"It's been a year since you have seen them. They get prettier every year, don't they?"
She took her back seat again and we moved on to nest 5. The eagle was sitting higher, and at first I thought I was going to get shots of their eaglet, but when I zoomed in I realized that the other white spot I was seeing next to her from my 1/2 mile distance was only her tail. She was sitting at angle so her body blended into the shadows, making it look like two white bird heads.
By nest 3 I found four immature eagles flying with an adult eagle. I just have to wonder if these immature eaglets are the "teens" of the valley, the babies who have made it, or are they passing through still migrating? Two of the birds have very particular markings, and it makes me wonder if they are staying on or moving along?
I think my favorite shot today was the pied-billed grebe fishing for the little bluegill sunfish. He had a difficult time getting this one he caught to hold still long enough to swallow him head first. The small diving duck dunked him several times then just opened up extra wide and swallowed him in one giant gulp.
Yesterday I watched a fish going down sideways in a great blue herons long neck, today I watched a fish going down sideways in a short neck of a pied grebe. Then he swam off. I wondered how many of those fish he could fit in his tiny frame.
The nest 3 and 4 eagles were up on their nests. It appears we may have a new eaglet on nest 3. Still waiting for photo proof.
I think the weather is supposed to be nice -- next month.
We spent another half hour shooting the pelican images and returned to Rochester.
It was a wonderful day in the valley, it always is rain or shine. I thank you Lord for these opportunities today.
I'm looking forward to day 102.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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