Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was windy, with wind advisories out all day, but it was mostly sunny. I enjoyed the 48 degree morning air temperature when I arrived and the 65 degree temperature when I got back to Rochester.
It was likely too windy for the DNR to do any controlled burns today, but as I moved along my project area I discovered they had burned almost 3 miles of the areas I work in daily. I wish I would have been there when they did the nest 3 an 4 areas. Those would have made neat shots.
They'll be back in another five or ten years to do it again. I'll just have to be ready the next time.
I started at my old marsh project today. The one I shot daily for 580 days. I had been waiting for the snow to melt to go to the back areas, as I wasn't sure what was land, and what wasn't since the summer flood. It was like walking into a new world, with familiar traces of what had been there surrounding the innermost places I photographed.
The shot above with the pond in the foreground was all part of a sand prairie. You can see how the flood washed away all the land and left a pond in its place. The entire sand prairie where I shot about 60% of my Winter Bugs! book was now sand dunes
that would challenge the dunes in Michigan for size and shapes.
It was like walking across a sand covered canvas, each footprint became a step in the new history of this barren landscape.
I was surprised to see the old cocoons I photographed daily to see how long the silken threads would last still hanging, blowing in the breeze. The flood cutting its path just inches away from where these cocoons have been dangling since 2005.
I walked down to the pond and I sat listening to the chorus of spring peepers, leopard frogs, and wood frogs. I spent so much time on that marsh edge for a moment I could close my eyes and see where I had been and how many things had changed since those frogs hibernated and returned twice now since my last visit.
I hike up the little hill and the grapevines I photographed from their very first leaves were still there, twisted around the pine tree, longer and more spread out. I passed the mullen plants I photographed daily, they take two years to mature and their towering stalks were still standing tall.
The marsh had taken my entire morning, but it was worth every step and I'm glad to have had that opportunity to revisit.
I moved on to nest 6 where I found Linda up on the nest, and Dick scaring up all the shoveler ducks again. This time there were a couple hundred. He went down and grabbed a muskrat from the marsh and flew it back to the nest where I am just sure they have an eaglet, I just can't see it yet.
Linda stood up and flew off the nest for her afternoon break on the powerful wind gusts.
Nest 5 eagle was on their nest, still can't see their eaglet(s).
When I arrived at nest 3 and 4 the areas were charred black from the DNRs controlled burn. The eagles were both up on their nest with no eaglets in view, yet.
I saved nest 2 and 1 for last. The winds were so strong that The Mayor on nest 2 leaned over his 9 day old Terry Gail, and possibly a second eaglet. We have thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow and Thursday. I hope to get a shot of the eaglets before those hit.
As I got out of my truck at nest 1 hike-in access, I saw a morning cloak butterfly, about where I saw the one yesterday. I wondered if it could be the same butterfly? Their colors are so stunning with a deep purple black velvety wing edged in ivory and dotted with sky blue, they make one of the loveliest butterflies and are like the robins of spring, faithful to return each year.
There were four vehicles around so I knew there were fisherman back on the river. I was surprised that Dancer was on nest duty. Every time a fisherman moved he flew off the nest circled them and came back. I always knew where they were.
I was hoping to get a shot of Daniels Charlie and possibly his twin, but they are still so small.
It was a wonderful day in the valley.
I look forward to day 99.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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