Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was a snowy cold day in the valley. It was only 36 degrees when I reached the valley and the snow flurries came and left throughout the day. There was only an inch of snow in some places, if that. I may be slapped silly for saying this, but, I rather enjoyed seeing the return of our white snow resting on the pine tree boughs,on the nests of the eagles, and blowing around in the air making me dizzy while trying to watch a flake fall to the ground.
We can only enjoy the snow for only a few more days and then we won't see the snow again for several months.
I'd like to wish my nephew Forrest a very happy birthday today. I love you kiddo.
Nest 7 actually looked like there was an eagle on it today. I can't be sure though. I'm just too far away and I have no access to that land. I was hoping to see eagles flying to and from it by now, that or another raptor.
I moved on to nest 2 where I found Judy up on the nest hovering over Terry Gail their eaglet.
I went and took an old winding minimum maintenance road that I haven't been on since being caught up in the flash flood on it last spring. I drove it to its end, still looking for the wolves. Instead of wolf tracks, I found large yellow flowers blooming dead center in a bog. I tried going on to get in close, but the ground kept sucking the boots from my feet.
Sometimes, you just have to be happy with the shots you do get from the edges of unknown land, especially bogs.
I moved on and found a great snowy egret fishing side by side, or maybe I should say stabbing tadpoles one after the other.
The heron left as I lifted my lens, the shy birds that they are, that didn't surprise me. Usually, after shooting by a heron a few days it allows me close by the fourth day.
The great snowy egrets either have limited fear of man, or an over zealous appetite for fish and tadpoles and put their security second to their stomachs from which as far as I can tell hold no less than two dozen large tadpoles, or three dozen small fingerlings in one sitting.
By the time I reached nest 6 I found Linda up on the nest and snow falling all around her. The geese were all in a content sleep, so I'm sure none of the goslings have hatched or they would be poking them back under their wings. The chubby little muskrat sat up on his post chewing away at the fresh roots and plant matter, ignoring the clicking of my shutter.
Judy and Donny (the real Mayor), stopped by and visited for a few minutes. "You should have been here early this morning Lisa, all the trees were covered in a light snow and it was so beautiful."
I gave them an update on the eagles Judy and The Mayor and their eaglet, and he said he'd been down looking at them early this morning but didn't see the baby.
Nest 5 was sitting above, perched high and looking down in their nest. The pussy willows are wilting away, the cat tails of 2007, have almost all crumbled to mushy clumps of white in a crust of brown velvet, and the new marsh grasses, the canary grass, the new nettles, are all climbing fast in a race to out grow each other.
Nest 3 and 4 eagles were up on their nests feeding their eaglets. The nest 3 male must have just brought in lunch, as he left the nest and flew to his favorite afternoon perch above two marshes where he can see his nest easily and observe the comings and goings of all the other wildlife.
I stopped at nest 2 again on my way to Daedee and Dancer's nest. Both Judy and The Mayor were flying around circling low beneath their nest. I wondered who or what had their attention, for I couldn't see into the dense foilage. Then Judy left, and The Mayor took over the nest duty. He sat above Terry Gail looking down numerous times at their first eaglet.
When I arrived at nest 1, I saw and photographed Dancer flying around their nest tree and wondered if something was just in that one mile stretch stirring up all the eagles? I hiked out then and found Daedee on the nest, deeply snuggling into her twins.
She was on them so tightly that I didn't even hear a peep.
I stayed until the snow began falling again, and I wanted to leave today with a shot of the snow falling on the eagles and eaglets, but it sounds like I'll get that chance again tomorrow.
Tonight Bluebell came home. We have waited six months for our little blue friend. When we went in to buy him I still was considering buying Em the sun conure that she wanted. However, I knew instantly when I saw the bird on the shoulder of a man looking at bird supplies that it wasn't meant to be.
"Hello". Bluebell called out.
"Hello." In fact, Kenny Chesney's song couldn't have been more fitting for me and bluebell as"Bluebell has had me from hello.'"
The man holding the sun conure name was Nate. I could see the disappointment in her eyes and asked if Em could pet his bird. He bought him just a day or so after we saw him a couple weeks ago. She went over to bluebell while I talked to Nate, and Bluebell played his chase you around my cage game. Soon I was hearing giggles and finally, "Mom, this bird really loves me."
I walked up and said hi to Bluebell, and Bluebell, as always, every visit for six months, came up and said, "Hello", and gave me a kiss. He nodded his head and got all excited for the attention. We played our walk around the cage game, and that's when Nate told me, "That bird really likes you. You should buy him. He bites every one that's why he's been here so long. No one will buy him."
I looked at him like he must have the wrong bird, "Bluebell?" I found myself standing up defending a bird I hardly knew, "Bluebell doesn't bite, why--"
"Oh yes he does. He bit my fiancee', two of my friends, and he only likes one staff member here at the store and bites every one else. I've been here on and off for two weeks feeding this conure, hoping I can take him home, but they keep making me wait."
I looked at Bluebells' twinkling brown eyes, with a wink, I said, "Have you been biting people while waiting for me to come back?"
"In fact, you could probably get a really good deal on him since no one will buy him and he has been here so long."
"I know he has, he's been waiting for me a long, long time. I wish I could take my bird home tonight, but I'm glad you get to."
The real test came when they opened his cage door and I got to hold him for the first time. He stood up flapping his newly clipped wings and squaked and bobbed up and down all excited to come out. He stepped out and he came up and kissed me.
"That bird adores you." He pet his bird and then he looked back up, "He has been waiting for you. Why that is fate, I think you are right, he has been waiting for you all this time." Bluebell cuddled up into my flannel shirt and put his beak on the material holding on.
"I guess that means he wants to stay with me."
"I agree," said the clerk. "He has only warmed up to Mike, otherwise he bites all of us."
"I promised him two weeks ago that I'd be back for him soon." It about killed me to walk away after playing cage tag with him for an hour. I may have said it with words, but I haven't been able to shake his expression of his beak pressed into the cage bars and how he stood taller while watching me walk away, and as I did he read my mind, as I read his, "Don't go away."
Em absolutely adores Bluebell and he is presently teeter-tottering with her. Sometimes you just "know" what pets will be apart
of your future. I knew six months ago, when I met Bluebell the first time he would be a part of our family. It just took longer than I expected. All in Gods' timing.
Welcome home Bluebell.
I'm looking forward to day 112.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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