Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was a cool 36 degrees in the valley. They are predicting snow through Saturday, with a large snowfall arriving Friday.
I arrived at nest 1 and found Daedee up on the nest incubating her clutch for day 36. The river is running high and I followed it about 1/2 mile upstream where I found Dancer, the nest 1 male. Actually, he found me.
I stayed until 12:20 hoping to get to see or hear the first glimpse of their eaglet, but soon realized that just wasn't going to be today. So I moved on to nest 2.
I found The Mayor, the nest 2 male, up on the nest and I waited to get a glimpse of a feeding or a eaglet popping his head up, but I was distracted by the sandhill cranes blasting vocalizations. I decided to finish the other nests and come back and finish nest 2 on my way back to Rochester.
The cranes were absolutely stunning in their soft brown and gray plumage and maroon tipped heads set again the golden plants and rising greens. Two of the cranes trailed the other three, and they appeared to be younger than the others ahead of them, full grown cranes who seemed to keep their eyes on these two cranes behind, but never allowed them to catch up to them.
Then a car passed without a muffler and sent them all into the sky. Sometimes that is why I dislike roadside photography.
I moved on to a goose who was standing in her nest box, looking down and calling out, obviously distressed. It took me another minute to realize the reason was that her mate was dead and floating in the marsh grasses by her box. A gapping wound in the wing, and a pile of loose feathers floating around the half submerged head was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I wondered all day if it were a bobcat, or coyote that took this goose and killed it. I wondered why it didn't take it with him?
There were several other geese to the north all silent but aware of the dead goose. It was one of those moments in nature that one doesn't question the death, but only the reason the animal was left behind.
I wonder if the mother goose will continue sitting? She's only been on for about 3 days.
I moved to nest 6 where I found Linda on her nest. Something up in the bluffs had her attention, and my guess is that something was Badger, their 2007 eaglet, but it was her vocalizations that brought Dick, the nest 6 male in instantly.
Below them two muskrats emerged from the frothy slime covered marsh edge and they sat side-by-side, busily munching down plant greens and stems. The second muskrat attempted to mate the first but she threw him off back into the muck.
It's moments like these that are the true gems in the wild, the hold the magic that draws me back again and again.
I found nest 5 sitting on their 3 day old eaglet keeping it dry from the dripping rain. Nest 3 and 4 eagles were on their nests and I'm expecting to see eaglets hatching this weekend.
However what held my attention was not the nests but the four immature eagles that were scraping over a kill on the marsh edge. Two crows flew in and I figured it must have been a fur-bearer for them to arrive so suddenly. I never see crows that excited over a dead fish.
Two of the immature eagles flew into each other while the other two stood back a few feet. The losing eagle flew off.
I wondered what the nest 3 eagle thought of all this activity below her nest. Eagles love watching all that goes on and I'm sure
this scene was a classic for her to observe.
On my way back, I was extremely short on time to get back to Rochester. I pulled over to photograph nest 2 and got luck to find Terry Gail their 2 day old eaglet sitting up next to mom. Too bad the light was so low and I was so far away.
The eaglets will have some size to them next week and there forward.
Presently, it's snowing outside as I type these final words in today's blog.
Thank you Harry for sending me contact information for the tagged swan I put in my blog on 3/24/08. I sent the Wisconsin
DNR the info.
I'm looking forward to day 92.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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