Hello Eagle Friends,
It was raining early this morning but by the time I left for the valley it had subsided. I really enjoyed the cloud cover today, much more than the twenty mile detour to get to my project. Tomorrow I'll have to take another route.
I found no activity on nest 7 or 8 again. I'm surprised that I'm still able to see both nests with all the leaves coming out. I'll keep watching until they are blocked from my view.
As I hiked out on my 4 year broken with sweat and hard steps trail to Daedee and Dancer's I found someone else had found my trail, too. In fact, they left behind their cardboard wrappers for their recently purchased, brand-spanking new, out of the package camouflage netting.
I'm amazed at the disrespect for the eagles territory. First, pop and beer cans, then candy wrappers, the occasional worm containers, salmon egg jars, but now the cardboard wrappers from camouflage netting, too? This is wrong. I also find it disturbing that someone would spend two hours walking around an eagle nest calling out like a turkey when even I could tell it was a man-made call.
Dancer flew right to where they were as I hiked in. Then he saw me and flew back to the nest tree and let out chirps which were his vocalizations that he was concerned with who ever was there. I have seen it a thousand times. I settled down and set up my camera and shot a few shots of his feathers ruffled, but truly they were because of someone hunting in his area.
Those turkeys are his food source too.
After a half hour passed he slipped away unannounced, like he always does, and in came Daedee with a thud. That thud meant food. I didn't see exactly what is was, but it was red meat of some sort. I saw her lift it across the nest. She fed her hungry eaglets a good portion of whatever it was and then she tucked them under her breast and brooded over them.
The temperature was cooler today, mid 50's, but the winds were strong and I was even a little cold when I left.
I moved on to the goslings on marsh 1. The 6 pack grew to a 7 pack overnight. The other goose family that I believe had five
goslings, now only had three. So I wonder what happened to divide the family and how this other goose family claimed parent rights to the 7th gosling.
I must have shot three dozen pictures of the comical antics of these fluffy yellow and brown-black streaked goslings, who still tripped over their enormous webbed feet, and tipped over while dipping down to take a drink from the marsh.
At nest 2 Judy was on the nest, and I couldn't see Terry Gail.
The American toads were out everywhere, covering the surfaces of the marshes with their trill, their mating call. It's fun to sit back and watch the ripples in the water as one toad swims towards his prized female. I have watched as many as five toads
grouping and stacked five high trying to mate a female.
Nest 6 was on her nest and I could see one eaglet in front of her, but she was covering the second eaglet.
I watched a great snowy egret stabbing fish in the marsh and the goose mound 1 family swimming cautiously past the egret with their 2 or 3 day old goslings. Then I found the nest box 1 family with their 6 little ones. The nest mound 2 and 3 are due to hatch tomorrow and this weekend. I sure hope I'll get to watch one of them hatching live.
That is quite an experience to watch.
Nest box 5 was up on the shore with their few day old goslings hidden under the growing green grass.
Then I came across a man with his bow stretched back, and I couldn't figure out what he was shooting at. He stood over a culvert and aimed and suddenly I saw a two foot sucker or carp leap up and onto the ground. I couldn't understand what fun or challenge that would be to shoot a huge fish like that in knee deep ditch water. The two fish he had caught (I saw both on the ground), had no chance at all. To me it would have been more humane to reach down and pick them up rather than shoot them.
Well, I'm not against fishing, not at all, but I do think all hunted species deserve their sporting chance to escape.
Okay I'll get off my soap box now.
I moved on to nest 5 and found the eagle up on the nest but she flew off after I shot several images to the north. I didn't have enough magnification at my 1/2 mile distance to see what she went after. She's been on that perch every day, so I was beginning to wonder if she ever left it.
Nest 3 and 4 eagles were on their nests.
Then I saw the three 6 day old goslings, who have grown to the size of a grebe, since birth. They were closely following their mom and dad to and from the reeds. Those are dangerous waters for a young gosling.
Good news, the goose box in the controlled burn area was empty. So, the babies hatched. I looked everywhere for them, but
they were well hidden. Maybe it was a good thing since several great snowy egrets were hunting all around their box.
I don't know if they would eat a gosling or not. My guess is yes, they would. After watching that great blue heron stab, pickup, and swallow all in one long, wide bite that giant sucker or carp (check blog about a month back), I don't know why snatching a fist-sized gosling would be rejected.
A smart goose keeps her head bowed to her goslings, constantly vocalizing to them the dangers and highlights of life in the marsh.
I'm looking forward to day 121.
I'll see you on the journey--
Lisa
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