Day 85, Wednesday, 4/2/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a great wildlife viewing day in the valley, with lots of eagles to watch.

Em went with me today and we hiked out and sat in the nest 1 area. On our hike out she spotted a slug and had fun learning
about this shell-less critter. Dancer was on nest duty and peering down at us through the sticks on his nest.

We moved on to nest 2 and found Judy up on the nest. The Mayor was soaring above.

Nest 6 eagle was on their nest and the mate down fishing on the big pond. It is fascinating to watch them circle in and drop like an anchor onto the fish below. Each diving bird has their behavioral pattern before dropping into the water. If I were a fish I think I would learn quickly to go into the deep just by watching the various birds all make their fluttering moves before descending.

Down the eagle dropped, and he descended so fast that the dozen or so common mergansers only had time to turn and see his ascension. He may have rose like a phoenix, but he came up without a fish--that time.

We found a couple great blue herons sitting up in a couple dead trees, watching the marsh below, and below them several pairs of shovelers had arrived along with a few more red-winged blackbirds.

We moved on to nest 3 and found the mate sitting in a nearby tree watching the nest and his mate. There was an immature eagle sharing the tree with him.

We moved on to nest 4 and found them switching nest duty. We tried calling in an owl, but I guess our "Who-who" calls were not convincing to the great horned owl and barred owls that nest in that area. I told Em, "When you were only two, you used to hear that owl as we came around this bend and you would say,'Owl mommy.'"

So we sat on the edge of the marsh and she picked so left over rose-hips to plant in our garden. We watched the young beaver swimming around cautiously in the reeds.

It was twilight and both of us were hungry for Kentucky Fried Chicken, "What do you think they'll be out of tonight?" I asked Em. Then we made jokes how when go there they are always out of everything we order. We passed another marsh and I heard and then spotted one of the two sandhill cranes, the pair that was still there from yesterday.

I saw another otter crossing over into another pond. The light was so low, even pushing my ISO to 1600, I was shooting at 1/10th of a second. I got four blurry shots of an otter.

I called it a day and we headed back but as we passed the big pond there was that nest six eagle with his talons stuck into the side of carp the size of a roadside billboard. A picture that was worth a thousand words, and would make any fisherman drool.
The eagle tried picking it up and flying off with it, but it fell from his grip.

So I photographed the eagle perched fifty feet on the other side of me as he shook the water from his feathers. That was the perfect ending to our day.

Then we went to KFC and I ordered an eight piece bucket with mashed potatoes and gravy for our side. "Make that original, and mostly dark meat if you can." I waited for them to say I am sorry we are out of something, but he didn't. Then I added, "Can you add a six piece honey BBQ?"
"Sorry, we are out of those."
Em started laughing.
"Okay."
"We have buffalo wings."
"Okay, we'll take six of those."
I drove up to the window and this nice man with a big smile says, "We are out of those spicy wings too, do you want to wait ten minutes?"

I told him we would pass tonight, and try them another night.

I'm looking forward to day 86.

See you on the journey--

Lisa