Hello Eagle Friends,
Today was a peaceful Memorial Day. I say that because it has taken eight years, eight spring seasons for me to heal from my father's death. I thank God for sending me the eagles for my healing came only with their help.
I opted for a later starting time today. I have enjoyed shooting the late afternoons and the twilight. I have fallen in love with the valleys' nocturnal mysteries. Stories, yet to be recorded and probably will take my lifetime to understand.
Meanwhile, there was some activity on nest 7. Can you believe that after all these months, some large black bird, the size of an eagle, or vulture, actually lifted off the nest just as I had my video camera focused on it.
My guess is it was just a bird checking it out. Still, maybe it was an eagle, and maybe that eagle will use it next year?
Nest 8 is officially hidden now, at least until fall. I know I have written before that I could not find nest 8, and then the next day, the leaves on the trees part like the red sea and I find it and get a shot. Well, that hasn't been the case these past few days so I officially ended my watch on that nest.
As I type I have Dale, my 100 lb. male German shepherd snoring on my right, and my female 85 lb German shepherd hugging my ankle in her dreams. My 15 year old husky looks in from her comfy spot on her lounge chair, but has no desire to plop down with the big dogs.
It took me three years to make good on my promise to them, but loyal as they are, they believed in me and now we can all hang out together all night. No doubt they are in doggy heaven right now getting the extra attention they well deserve.
That Dale though, I gave his a basted bone, and then he figured he could just go help himself to the bag. So I had to move the bag after he took four extras. Dani watched him, but never took any more than I offered her.
I'm getting carried away here, you probably don't want to hear the ramblings of my night life which literally, has gone to the dogs.
Back to my eagle project. . .
As I began my hike out to nest 1 the sun was low in the sky and the goldfinch were down sipping from a muddy puddle of water which also served as a bathing hole. As I brought my camera down to my side, an indigo bunting flew in and lit right by me.
I hiked out and sat by Daedee who was on The Look Out Tree perch. Having spent so much time with the other pairs of eagles I have come to learn that Daedee and Dancer allowing me to observe them is a gift not shared by the other eagles. I guess that is how I know that this is the nest God intended for me to study and focus on. Only he could whisper to the eagles to be at peace with me.
Gloria and Donald, the documentary robins both had beaks dripping with purple and deep magenta night crawlers. I checked on the babies who are about 6 days old. Every one of them had their eyes open, for a second. Well-fed robins are sleepy little creatures and I left them to nap.
I could see the twins moving about but not very well from my main post. So I moved to the north side of the nest area, to my second favorite post. Daniels Charlie at 6 1/2 weeks was stretching, preening and then tasting the sticks in the nest. He would call out to Daedee every so often hoping she'd come back into the nest and feed him.
Dancer came zooming through the nest. He swooped so quickly above the nest that the speed of light couldn't have caught up with him. He was in pursuit of an immature eagle near the nest. He caught up with it in the south about a minute later.
I left and hiked out. On my way back I almost ran into a spider web that had a pencil dot sized spider in the center. The sun light was being bent by the tiny glistening strands of silk web and I thought it was neat how a spider, the master of "dream catching" had captured not only tiny insects, but rainbows in its web.
I found no activity on nest 2. The geese were moving their gosling's from the cornfields to the marsh for the night as I pulled over to document nest 6. I could see the twins up on the nest. They are almost 5 weeks old now.
I moved on to nest 5 and saw the twins there flapping and they had a quick spat, but resolved it by each moving to a different side of the nest.
At nest 3 I couldn't see Victory Bell up on the nest, and nest 4 is barely in sight anymore.
As I drove back a young cottontail came out and began sniffing the ground, then licking the gravel road. I see the squirrels lick the rocks, and I see the woodchucks lick the rocks, and I see the bird pick the rocks and take dust baths in them.
When I got back to Rochester I went to the cemetery to visit my dad's grave. I didn't have flowers, I didn't have a card, all I had was me and my love. I saw all the flags waving as I pulled in. Then I looked at the Jesus statue to the south of his grave and I wondered if that statue had been watching me all these years when visiting my dad.
If ever there was a time I wished I could have my dad back even for the night, it was now. If I could, I would take him right away without wasting a second to see the eagles of the valley. I would once again get to see that sparkle in his blue eyes like I did at the Falconry & Raptor show at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival that last year he was alive.
Dad was so impressed with the show and how the trainer said, "If you want to fly, put your thoughts on his back--and you'll fly," that he sought him out to make a donation.
Every time, since, when I need to, I whisper my thoughts and prayers to the eagles and I watch them fly on their backs. Every so often I think I can see my dad flying in their thoughts as they come back to me.
When I got home Em asked why I was so late. I told her I went to the cemetery. "Weren't you scared there at night?"
"No. Jesus was in the garden standing holding up a lamb by dad's grave."
Then Em told me a story how while moving some boxes in our office her and Dave found a box she had made a few years ago. "Mom, remember my box we made, the treasure box, that said, 'Treasure' on it?"
"Yes, I remember it, why?"
"Well, guess what was on it? Guess!"
"I don't know, a bug?"
"Close."
"A spider?"
"That's really getting close."
"Hmm. A centipede?"
"No, you were closer with spider. Okay, it's something the spider makes that is round."
"An egg sac?"
"YES! Two of them. Can you believe that a spider would put their egg sacs on my treasure box?"
"Well Em, you know spiders have many eyes, and you know they can read--didn't you see Charlotte's Web? If I was a spider I'd lay my eggs on a box that said treasure too. That was one smart spider don't you think?"
I had her going with that one. I could just see the wheels turning in her head. Well, how would you have explained that one?
I'm looking forward to day 140.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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