Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was our best spring day yet, with mostly sunny skies, a brisk wind, and it was 65 degrees when we reached the valley.
Em and I took a late start today so we could work on illustrations for our book. Then we hit the 50% off one item coupon at Michael's one of our local craft and art supply stores. We picked up some more watercolor paper and drawing pads, and some new watercolor pencils.
Today was one of those rare days that I wished we could just stay at home and enjoy a day there, but duty calls, and the thoughts of eaglets were on our minds.
We started at Daedee and Dancer's nest. We hiked to our Wildlife Study post at nest 1. Dancer was on the nest, but he left when Daedee flew into the nest area shortly after we arrived. The two eagles sat on one of their favorite perching trees, and Daedee leaned forward accepting Dancer if he wanted to mate. He started to walk over and lifted one leg up, but then simply called out to her.
The two both vocalized for a few seconds, and I am not sure what they said to one another, but you could see, easily, they were
bonded together deeply by the way they touched their beaks and fluffed up. They sat there for about fifteen minutes watching their nest. I was just sure they had eaglet hatching.
Then Daedee flew in and took over the nesting. Em and I left and moved on to nest 2.
There we found The Mayor perched on a branch just off the nest. He was rocking back and forth, looking down at Judy who appeared to be ignoring him. She was on the nest looking the opposite direction. After about five minutes he let out a vocalization that sent her up and off the nest.
Then he leaned forward and flew down taking his nesting duty turn.
Nest 6 eagle was on their nest, the geese were on their boxes, the HQ1 has been on 6 days today, the CGMB1 5 days, CGMB5 4 days, and throughout the valley a few other geese have taken up their boxes. No doubt that by April 28th we'll be seeing goslings.
The painted turtles were out again today laying in the same spot as yesterday. It made me wonder why the turtles and frogs of one pond have appeared but not on another. Seems to me that if one turtle is out on one marsh, turtles should be out on all the marshes.
Nest 5 was sitting on their nest. I really wanted to hike back that way today, but time was going to fast for that trip today. That and Em and me were going fossil hunting when we finished the eagle project if we had time.
We moved on to nest 3 and found the eagle on the nest there, and then went on to nest 4 and found the eagle on their nest for day 25 incubation.
Em and me went looking for animal tracks and she found one the size of the cougar that is supposed to be down there, and the track was about their size, but only one foot track. The smell of the dead fish was enough to make anyone choke.
The ice had melted almost all the way across the marsh and hundreds large carp and suckers, floated against the bobbing bluegills.
One seagull was pulling on the entrails of a small fish while another gull came down to try and snatch it from him. I wondered with all these dead fish, why there were not more animals gathered there eating their fill on the winter kill fish.
Em wanted to keep hiking so we did. We hiked out by nest 4 and then she was enjoying spotting the blackbirds, the muskrat and so we kept on going all the way to nest 3. The sun was just about to set, and we had a mile hike back so we turned then and began our trip back to the truck. I kept calling for owls, but my hoot must have been off tonight for not one owl answered me, until, we were almost back to the truck.
Dusk had swallowed the last of the valley light and we both heard the owl answer, then I watched it, a little barred owl fly over me and across the dead fish strewn pond into the deciduous forest on the other side of the marsh.
As we travelled through the valley, the sound of the spring peeper frogs filled the air with their chorus, and Em begged me to stop so we could catch one. I told her that I wasn't going frogin' tonight.
As I drove on, I kept getting that inkling, that deep down feeling that something was going to jump out on the road so I drove extra slow and with my high beams on. I turned off my high beams for one car, the only one we saw in a half hour, and wouldn't you know that was when that critter jumped out in front of my truck.
I was only going 30, so I swerved to give him room, and that silly rabbit had made it--cleared my truck and as I passed him I saw him jump right under my tire and this time I killed him. I prayed that I'd still missed him, but when I pulled over and turned around I saw him in the road. It was instant death; his head smashed flat.
I picked him up and laid him on the side of the road so an eagle or coyote, or an owl, maybe the one I called in didn't try and pick him up in the middle of the road and get hit trying.
In all my life I've only nicked a couple birds, and killed two straight out, but this was my first rabbit. I worried all the way home
that it had a family.
Then a frog jumped out in front of me, so I pulled over and picked him up for Em.
Now she has two leopard frogs.
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