Hello Eagle Friends,
It was a fine spring day in the valley today. The temperature was 58 degrees when I arrived and 62 degrees when I left. The
skies were hazy and then blue for most of the afternoon.
There was no activity on nest 7 or 8 again.
Em and me hiked out to nest 1 and we found Daedee sitting on the nest with the twins. D'ODEE Brian Michael peeked up a couple times. Daniels Charlie stayed on the east side of the nest. About an hour, Daedee began looking around the nest more frequently, so I knew she would be leaving soon. I told Em to keep her eyes open, Dancer must be near.
Em was my videographer today, and she was really proud of her "footage" of Daedee leaving the nest. "Mom, I suppose you want to know how I knew what "footage" meant?"
I smiled back at her. I knew she understood more than I sometimes give her credit for. Someday, maybe she will be shooting wildlife videos alongside of me. I asked, her, "Would you like to be a wildlife videographer?"
"I would like to," she replied.
Dancer was suddenly in the near distance in pursuit of an immature eagle that had all the markings of Damian Danielle. The oldest twin from 2007. Dancer flew down striking Damian. Damain fell lower at least fifty feet before correcting himself back into flight. Dancer chased him out of the area and then he came back in, looked down on his 2008 twins, and landed on the
tilted twin tree that now stands like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the river.
He is a good father eagle and always on constant guard for his family. As two turkey vultures, then three flew in, he called out at them and then a red-tailed hawk came near but his vocalizations were enough to keep him away too.
We waited until almost 5 p.m. for Daedee to return with food, but we we still had the other nests to cover so we hiked out.
At nest 2 Judy was sitting above 36 day old Terry Gail who was perched sitting tall in the nest.
The goose families were sitting along the shore on the first marsh, and both families still had their same 5 and 4 goslings. I took several images of them, and Em enjoyed seeing them too.
At nest 6 I found so many goslings I could barely keep track. I found nest mound 1 and they still had all 6 of their goslings, goose box 1 had their 5, and both of those families were still staying close together with three other geese who were maybe goslings from one pair or the other from last year?
Maybe a family that lays eggs together, stays together? Or so it seems with the geese in this valley. Nest mound 3 did indeed hatch, and they were swimming just a bit off from the above two families with their seven little goslings.
Nest mound 3 may have hatched their goslings today, or at least some as mom had her wing out over the nest which is a good sign of goslings being shaded.
The nest 6 eagle was on her nest and I'm just not sure how many eaglets she has up there. I was counting white fuzzy circles, and I showed Dave some of the shots and said, "Count them, there are six circles, I think she has the Brady Bunch up there."
Seriously, though, I think she may have triplets, two lumps for each eaglet.
On the north side of the nest 6 marsh there were more goslings. The nest 5 family was doing well, another family of seven newborn goslings which is probably nest box 3s. Two goslings, older maybe 5-6 days old with their parents, six on another bank, and at least five across the road in a puddle and field.
That's a lot of goslings with more expected this week. Then the ducks will start hatching out their ducklings, and before we know it we'll be in the start of summer.
At nest 5 I found one eaglet up on the nest. They are 5 weeks old on this nest now. Well, 37 days and 35 days old. No sign of mom or dad around. The red-winged blackbird male was sitting above the tree where he chatters every day when I stop there.
I think they are a peculiar bird, but I am amazed at how fast their little ones leave the nest.
I think he and his mate have their nest in the shallows on the edge of the marsh. I just haven't tried finding it.
The county line geese were sitting in their usual spot, those are the ones I shot sitting mom's wing in the rain a couple days ago, and there is a newly hatched family, with at least 6 goslings that Em counted from her side of the truck slipping into the pond.
At nest 3 I found no goslings. I only found the same two geese sitting up in their usual evening spot, a couple great blue herons fishing, dozens of red-winged blackbirds, a beaver, and a few coot.
Nest 3 eagle was on their nest, no sign of the eaglets, and the nest 4 eagle was barely visible, but I could see it on their nest.
On our trip backtracking almost all the goslings were up on the road and feeding on the grasses, and eating gravel. The fathers are so careful and will often run out into the road hissing and puffing out their chests at the approach of a vehicle. I try to drive way around them.
It was a great day for photo opportunities. We are supposed to have good weather tomorrow morning with thunderstorms moving in by early afternoon.
I'm looking forward to day 126.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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