Day 90, Monday, 4/7/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

It's hard to believe we woke up to snow again, but we did. Then it rained, sprinkled, rained a little more, and then the dark skies hung low, barely above the valley. It was 34 degrees when I arrived.

All night I woke up every hour on the hour thinking I'd overslept to get Em off to school. In fact, my entire day started out all wrong. First with waking up too early, then I got shorted on my morning coffee, trying to get back into our morning school routine with school in session wasn't easy either.

I was too early for the mail, and somehow with all the morning "to do's" I was still late getting to the valley.
When I arrived at nest 7 my luck changed even more. I pulled out my Canon and the camera was dead. Completely gone. I know I charged the battery last night. I took the battery out and put it back in. I tried taking out the flash card, reinserting it, but the camera didn't do anything.

I had two choices: Drive back to Rochester and return later this afternoon and early evening to do my project, or shoot with
my spare camera that had limited lens power. I decided to shoot with my small camera, with my line up of afternoon appointments I didn't want to chance not getting back down to the valley.

I didn't want to have to go plunk down $2000 or more on a temporary camera either. I prayed all day it was something simple, like the battery died. Maybe a lens pressed the shutter all night and all day draining the camera? I just knew that today would be a day that the eaglets would hatch and I wouldn't have a good shot.

I even resorted to shooting my video screens, just for close-ups. I have back up batteries for all my Canon's, even back ups to the back ups. All except this camera. I bought this one as a trial thing, and didn't expect it to outlive my expensive Canons.
Want a good consumer tip? Don't waste your money on the big guns.

You'll only get 60,000 shots on your Canon 10D, 20D, 30D, and they say 100,000 on the 40Ds and 5Ds, and 300,000 on the Mark Ds, but if you shoot as a professional, than do the math. That's not many shots for their prices, that is like every 20 assignments you should by a new camera.

That's exactly what was going through my head as I held my "kiss of death, Canon #6". Um, and that includes rebuilding Canon's 1-4, 4 times, 3 times, and 2 times, one to go back in, and well I guess I lost track after that. They advertise these are professional use cameras and when I argued their advertised cameras are not professional quality, they told me I was over using my cameras.

Over-using my camera's? What journalist, wedding photographer, editorial, stock or assignment photographer doesn't shoot at least a couple hundred shots on a job? Hmm. One of their techs told me to get a video camera if I'm going to shoot that many pictures a day on my documentary. Canon, any comments yet?

So don't ask me what camera I prefer. For me the answer is "Whatever camera works on any given day." Today it was my Son.God knows I love my Sony's, all of them. Great optics, great endurance, solid in and out.

I hiked out to nest 1 and found Dancer on the nest. I'm certain their babies are coming by tomorrow. The parents are still anxious and excited. Daedee was up flying with an immature eagle, I couldn't identify it. She led it out to the south end of the valley. Dancer went back to incubating.

I shot a snail that was moving about slowly, and then the log where we sit just drew me to photograph it. I did. I posted it above. It wasn't until tonight that I could understand that my dad was somehow a part of that image. He used to love my images of wood doors, wood doors with hooks, hinges, barn doors, and my wood images. He would have been a likely fan of my Spirit Trees of Whitewater book.

This fallen log had become a part of my journeys tapestry today. I printed out the image and gave it to my mom tonight and I told her that somehow dad was connected to that picture today. My sister, her husband and son, and my husband and daughter, we all took her out for dinner so she wouldn't be at home tonight alone, thinking how today would have been her 46th anniversary had dad not died.

I hiked out and moved on to nest 2. Judy stood up just about five minutes after my arrival and began tearing eaglet sized strips off a carcass in her nest and dipping her beak into the nest feeding an eaglet. I saw the little guy, just a softball sized ball of white down. I decided to name that eaglet, Terry Gail after my dad and mom. Mom got tears in her eyes when I told her that tonight.

I stood for about fifteen minutes watching her feed. There isn't an eaglet on this earth, any solo eaglet that has an appetite that big. By the way the mom was leaning directly below to feed and then stretching over to feed Terry Gail, I am quite confident we have twins, but I can't confirm that. Heck, I couldn't even shoot the pictures today. I got some video, and a few shots, but God-willing, tomorrow I will be posting some eaglet pictures if available.

My friend Chad stopped by and I almost asked to borrow his camera, but I didn't.

No other eaglets hatched today, but I suspect by trout opener this weekend, we will have at least half dozen "little beakers" begging for fish, wild turkey and whatever the parents bring in.

I came back to my studio and charged my exhausted battery, and my Canon is working again. Still, I'm switching brands and I'll use my Canons for extras until they die permanently which with my "overshooting" shouldn't take long. Maybe two months, three tops.

I'm looking forward to Day 91.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 89, Sunday, 4/6/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today it rained most of the day. It was 60 degrees when I reached the valley and the rain stopped for a couple hours giving me time to shoot without ruining more camera equipment.

I hiked out to my Wildlife Study post and found a song sparrow singing on a perch. Daedee, the nest 1 female was drying her
wings in the intermittent sunshine. Obviously she was the parent on the nest incubating their egg(s). Today was day 34 incubation.

Dancer was up on the nest. I could see him through the sticks, and I kept listening for a eaglet cry, but heard only that song sparrows' song. He left and joined perched on the look out tree when the sun came out. Then he flew over to her and sat by her. I think he was trying to get her to go back to the nest, but she wouldn't budge. She was still wet.

He flew back and continued incubating the rest of the time I was there.

I hiked out and moved on to nest 2. I am wondering about this nest, worrying their little ones aren't not going to hatch as they laid too early. Still, they could be sitting on one and I wouldn't know unless I happened upon them during a feeding. So I'm not
giving up on them yet.

Further up the road I found a brown bird that I was unfamiliar with. He was smaller than a golden eagle, but bigger than a red-tailed hawk. His wings had rusty bars and he had a white tail. I'll have to do some research and find out what kind of bird he is. I've never seen one like this in the valley.

Nest 6 was the hot spot today. When I arrived Dick was up on the nest incubating. It seems the male eagles prefer the afternoon shifts. Then a huge great blue heron flew in next to me and I got several pictures of him. While this was going on
the ducks were shifting from one side of marsh to the other but they were not flying out of the area.

Those immature eagles blend in so well to the spring scenery it took two passes of the ducks before I realized that Badger, the nest 6 2007 eagle was trying to catch a duck. Those ducks were almost laughing at him, yet took his talons seriously enough that they flew low across the water.

This seemed to frustrate little Badger, so he took after a Canada Goose male who was protecting his female on the nest box.
The goose proved to be more of a challenge than Badger wanted with water spraying up into his face just as he was a foot above the goose, he flew off and went back chasing ducks.

When I arrived at nest 5 I noticed both eagles on the nest and nest tree. I was sure I'd hit a nest incubation shift so I waited it out. This was Day 40 for this pair.

I looked back again after setting my video camera down, and I could see an eagle dipping its beak into the nest. Not once, not twice, but for over five minutes it repeated this behavior. That is a 100% sure sign that an eaglet has hatched! Our first 2008 eagle of the valley. That is a five mile hike back to that nest, well, maybe 4 miles going from the top of the bluff down, if the back marsh isn't submerged like it is behind nest 3 and 4.

I guess I shouldn't get too excited yet, I still don't have photo proof of the eaglet, but I have five minutes of shots and video of an eagle tending whatever was in the nest below her, and she was not taking chunks of food for herself, those would be large bites. What she was doing was small, almost invisible even with my huge lens, but I'm confident we have our first eaglet.

Then the eagle on the tree branch flew off and up towards me and above me, circling and then went over the bluff. I was about a half mile away, and I mention this just so you know how well those eagles know everyone and everything going on in their territory.

I moved on into the light rain to the gulls. I find them so lovely to watch. They make me laugh as they fly about looking for food and when they find some they either gobble it down in midair, or they lay it down as a trophy for the other gulls to try and steal.

The last ice is thawing the NE corner of the marsh, by this weekend all the marshes will be open and all the snow melted. It also means the gulls will be leaving and in their place hundreds of white pelicans will arrive.

That's why I like the marshes and wetlands. The arrival of the species tells me the time of year better than any calendar ever could. Then again, like my dad always said, "There is real time, and there is 'Lisa time'".

My day started with a song sparrow singing and ended with a pair of wood ducks hiding their song in the grasses, but they swam in close intensely watching me.

I'm looking forward to day 90.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 88, Saturday, 4/5/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was our best spring day yet, with mostly sunny skies, a brisk wind, and it was 65 degrees when we reached the valley.

Em and I took a late start today so we could work on illustrations for our book. Then we hit the 50% off one item coupon at Michael's one of our local craft and art supply stores. We picked up some more watercolor paper and drawing pads, and some new watercolor pencils.

Today was one of those rare days that I wished we could just stay at home and enjoy a day there, but duty calls, and the thoughts of eaglets were on our minds.

We started at Daedee and Dancer's nest. We hiked to our Wildlife Study post at nest 1. Dancer was on the nest, but he left when Daedee flew into the nest area shortly after we arrived. The two eagles sat on one of their favorite perching trees, and Daedee leaned forward accepting Dancer if he wanted to mate. He started to walk over and lifted one leg up, but then simply called out to her.

The two both vocalized for a few seconds, and I am not sure what they said to one another, but you could see, easily, they were
bonded together deeply by the way they touched their beaks and fluffed up. They sat there for about fifteen minutes watching their nest. I was just sure they had eaglet hatching.

Then Daedee flew in and took over the nesting. Em and I left and moved on to nest 2.

There we found The Mayor perched on a branch just off the nest. He was rocking back and forth, looking down at Judy who appeared to be ignoring him. She was on the nest looking the opposite direction. After about five minutes he let out a vocalization that sent her up and off the nest.

Then he leaned forward and flew down taking his nesting duty turn.

Nest 6 eagle was on their nest, the geese were on their boxes, the HQ1 has been on 6 days today, the CGMB1 5 days, CGMB5 4 days, and throughout the valley a few other geese have taken up their boxes. No doubt that by April 28th we'll be seeing goslings.

The painted turtles were out again today laying in the same spot as yesterday. It made me wonder why the turtles and frogs of one pond have appeared but not on another. Seems to me that if one turtle is out on one marsh, turtles should be out on all the marshes.

Nest 5 was sitting on their nest. I really wanted to hike back that way today, but time was going to fast for that trip today. That and Em and me were going fossil hunting when we finished the eagle project if we had time.

We moved on to nest 3 and found the eagle on the nest there, and then went on to nest 4 and found the eagle on their nest for day 25 incubation.

Em and me went looking for animal tracks and she found one the size of the cougar that is supposed to be down there, and the track was about their size, but only one foot track. The smell of the dead fish was enough to make anyone choke.
The ice had melted almost all the way across the marsh and hundreds large carp and suckers, floated against the bobbing bluegills.

One seagull was pulling on the entrails of a small fish while another gull came down to try and snatch it from him. I wondered with all these dead fish, why there were not more animals gathered there eating their fill on the winter kill fish.

Em wanted to keep hiking so we did. We hiked out by nest 4 and then she was enjoying spotting the blackbirds, the muskrat and so we kept on going all the way to nest 3. The sun was just about to set, and we had a mile hike back so we turned then and began our trip back to the truck. I kept calling for owls, but my hoot must have been off tonight for not one owl answered me, until, we were almost back to the truck.

Dusk had swallowed the last of the valley light and we both heard the owl answer, then I watched it, a little barred owl fly over me and across the dead fish strewn pond into the deciduous forest on the other side of the marsh.

As we travelled through the valley, the sound of the spring peeper frogs filled the air with their chorus, and Em begged me to stop so we could catch one. I told her that I wasn't going frogin' tonight.

As I drove on, I kept getting that inkling, that deep down feeling that something was going to jump out on the road so I drove extra slow and with my high beams on. I turned off my high beams for one car, the only one we saw in a half hour, and wouldn't you know that was when that critter jumped out in front of my truck.

I was only going 30, so I swerved to give him room, and that silly rabbit had made it--cleared my truck and as I passed him I saw him jump right under my tire and this time I killed him. I prayed that I'd still missed him, but when I pulled over and turned around I saw him in the road. It was instant death; his head smashed flat.

I picked him up and laid him on the side of the road so an eagle or coyote, or an owl, maybe the one I called in didn't try and pick him up in the middle of the road and get hit trying.

In all my life I've only nicked a couple birds, and killed two straight out, but this was my first rabbit. I worried all the way home
that it had a family.

Then a frog jumped out in front of me, so I pulled over and picked him up for Em.

Now she has two leopard frogs.

Day 87, Friday, 4/4/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

We hit our first 2008 spring day with temperatures reaching the low 60s. It was 57 degrees when we arrived in the valley and 62 degrees by late afternoon. The winds were warm, welcoming and made us wish for more days like this.

We didn't find any activity on nest 7 or 8 again. I hate to say they look like inactive nests, but all signs are pointing to the reality that there just doesn't seem to be any takers.

We saw the MCC (Minnesota Conservation Corps) and the DNR trucks coming out of the valley with their controlled burn equipment. I can't believe its already that time of year, but every April, I see them preparing and burning the fields. I keep hoping they won't return to Daedee and Dancer's nest area for another ten years.

Em and me hiked out to our Wildlife Study post at nest 1. Dancer was on his afternoon nest duty, day 32 incubation. He was excitable again today, even the glimpse of an immature eagle a mile away sent him off the nest calling Daedee in so he could chase it out.

Daedee appeared about ten minutes later with the immature eagle flying above her. I couldn't tell which immature eagle it was for sure, but it sure resembled our Dorothy.

We moved on towards nest 2, but I made a stop to show Em the three painted turtles up on a log sunning themselves. "Em. Look--turtles!" I couldn't believe it. I think the earliest I have seen turtles in the past was mid April, so I was surprised to see these critters out.

At nest 2 I stepped out of the truck and again I rapped on Em's window, "Em, listen--the frogs are out. Want to go find them?"
"Sure."
I don't think I've ever seen her slip on her boots so quickly. "I know exactly where they are, the are in a slough just over this hill." I knew they weren't going to be on the river, but I have had my eye on that slough for a week now.
"Mom, can I keep one if I catch one?"
"Yes."

We sat on the edge of the marsh and narrowed in to where the frogs were calling from, then we walked over to their calls, but couldn't find a single frog. Nest 2s Judy was on her nest for day 43. I just know she must have something up there about to hatch, or an eaglet who has hatched. Maybe tomorrow.

We left after an hour later without a new pet frog.

We went to nest 6 and found one of the eagles on their nest for day 27 incubation.

As we hit the marsh by nest 5 I found a male shoveler with a long sting hanging out of his beak. I grabbed three shots, and it looks like a fish hook is in his bill, but I can't be sure, the lighting was low and it could just be a long piece of weed. I'll watch for this duck again tomorrow. They have been here a few days now, so I expect they hang out another day or so.

There wasn't much going on at nest 5 today. The eagle was on the nest for day 38 incubation or is already on an eaglet, but I'm too far away to see. I kept looking for a path that would bring me closer. Em and me hiked out on this one area, but the floods had carved a path through the land and left a twenty foot gully which was passable with a canoe, but not on foot.

So we laid our hands next to the biggest coyote tracks we've ever seen, and we looked for fossils, and then we made wishes on the red rocks and tossed them in the pond.

It's a legend, a story I made up about getting your wish, but you have to say it out loud while you toss it in.

We headed up to nest 3 and found the eagle sitting for day 27 and then moved on to nest 4.

The eagle was on the nest there for day 24, but that wasn't what held my attention. The marsh had just melted half way across and the seagulls were numerous there, scooping up dead and live fish. There were four immature eagles sitting together in a tree, and one adult eagle down the river a ways.

The skies were filling in with dark clouds resting on the orange hues of the sunset and as I took their picture one immature eagle flew off and I followed him with my lens.

Em kept asking, "Mom, will I really get my wish?"
"Sure you will."
She wanted to capture a character on her video game.

As we were backtracking past nest 6 I said, "I don't believe it!" Then I pulled over.
"Mom--what? Why are you stopping."
"A frog--he just jumped out in front of me."
I let Em catch him. In fact, I video taped her catching it.

"I forgot to tell you that the red rock wish knows your hearts' truest wish--and I believe you were asking for a frog at nest 2 were you not?"

Of course that is all just a story, but to a little girl maybe it opened her imagination just a crack more today.

Em held "Spring" the first frog of 2008, all the way home. I pulled out the old aquarium and he has 55 gallons of space to spread out. I guess Em is old enough now to set up that pond life aquarium we have always talked about.

I'm looking forward to day 88.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 86, Thursday, 4/3/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a gorgeous spring day with temperatures hitting 52 degrees when we arrived in the valley. The partly cloudy skies offered numerous lighting opportunities and challenges.

Em and me hiked out to our Wildlife Study post at nest 1. Dancer the male was on the nest. Today was day 31 incubation. No eaglets today. I think we will have our first eaglet from nest 1, on Sunday. Day 33 seems to be this pairs lucky number. That and Dancer was high strung today, antsy, and that could mean that he is hearing a baby in the egg?

Of course, their babies have always hatched at trout opener weekend, so I wouldn't doubt that the little eaglets hold out until Friday next week. I'm as anxious as these sitting eagles to see and experience the raising of their little ones.

Em corralled her pet slug, Slugworth, yesterday, and I could hardly believe he stayed in his logged in arena. Then we found something we least expected. A question mark butterfly flew up in front of both of us. I could hardly believe a butterfly would be out this early, but then again, it was 52 degrees.

So we followed it as far as we could and I only managed two shots of him. Quick little flutter, that question mark butterfly.

We hiked out and moved to nest 2. We were there almost a half hour when my friend Chad pulled up. I haven't seen him since January. We talked shop, and where the photo hot spots were right now. We both were trying to figure out if nest 2s eaglet had hatched. "I shot twenty shots of that white spot next to her head, thinking it was an eaglet before I realized that was the tip of her tail." I laughed at my mistake.

Chad left to go get his late afternoon shots in the south as we headed north.

Nest 6 was on their nest, and the HQ box 1 goose was on day 4, CGM box 1 was on day 3, and the other two boxes remained empty.

I didn't find any activity at nest 7 or 8 today either.

We moved on to nest 5 and as I pulled over I noticed a perfectly poised, slate blue, great blue heron with a bright orange and yellow beak turn his head to me. He was so close I couldn't even get his entire body in my frame. Em marveled at his beauty and was glad to see one so close.

The two sandhill cranes were out preening across the marsh, and nest 5 was sitting contently on their nest.

The heron left and landed on his night perch, a tall dead tree in the center of the marsh. Those great blue herons love those five trees in that flooded area. Several shovelers were swimming all around the north pool, but they were too far out for a good shot.

I did however, get one good shot of an eagle on the big pond. He tried for a fish, but missed. Then an immature eagle flew in and perched watching the adult eagle.

Nest 3 and nest 4 eagles were on their nests. When I drove to the end of my project area I found six immature eagles on the frozen east pond hovering over scraps of fish as three seagulls pulled at the guts and flesh.

I called out for the owl who is back there and tonight he answered me three times. That is the coolest experience, far better than calling in a turkey, or deer. Calling in an owl from your own call--that is something.

As we sat on the marsh edge watching the last splash of sun decorate a long streak across the trees and the eagles sitting there a muskrat began swimming towards us. "Em, grab the video camera, he's coming right to me."
She grabbed the camera, "It's all fuzzy."
"Back it up, widen the zoom."
She's still learning the camera, but I think the day is coming where she'll be one of the best wildlife videographers in the world. She can spot an animal a mile away, and her knowledge of the outdoors and animal behavior grows deeper every day.

We called it a day and headed back to Rochester in the dark, and as expected I stopped three times for passing deer.

I'm looking forward to day 87.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 85, Wednesday, 4/2/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

Hello Eagle Friends,

Today was a great wildlife viewing day in the valley, with lots of eagles to watch.

Em went with me today and we hiked out and sat in the nest 1 area. On our hike out she spotted a slug and had fun learning
about this shell-less critter. Dancer was on nest duty and peering down at us through the sticks on his nest.

We moved on to nest 2 and found Judy up on the nest. The Mayor was soaring above.

Nest 6 eagle was on their nest and the mate down fishing on the big pond. It is fascinating to watch them circle in and drop like an anchor onto the fish below. Each diving bird has their behavioral pattern before dropping into the water. If I were a fish I think I would learn quickly to go into the deep just by watching the various birds all make their fluttering moves before descending.

Down the eagle dropped, and he descended so fast that the dozen or so common mergansers only had time to turn and see his ascension. He may have rose like a phoenix, but he came up without a fish--that time.

We found a couple great blue herons sitting up in a couple dead trees, watching the marsh below, and below them several pairs of shovelers had arrived along with a few more red-winged blackbirds.

We moved on to nest 3 and found the mate sitting in a nearby tree watching the nest and his mate. There was an immature eagle sharing the tree with him.

We moved on to nest 4 and found them switching nest duty. We tried calling in an owl, but I guess our "Who-who" calls were not convincing to the great horned owl and barred owls that nest in that area. I told Em, "When you were only two, you used to hear that owl as we came around this bend and you would say,'Owl mommy.'"

So we sat on the edge of the marsh and she picked so left over rose-hips to plant in our garden. We watched the young beaver swimming around cautiously in the reeds.

It was twilight and both of us were hungry for Kentucky Fried Chicken, "What do you think they'll be out of tonight?" I asked Em. Then we made jokes how when go there they are always out of everything we order. We passed another marsh and I heard and then spotted one of the two sandhill cranes, the pair that was still there from yesterday.

I saw another otter crossing over into another pond. The light was so low, even pushing my ISO to 1600, I was shooting at 1/10th of a second. I got four blurry shots of an otter.

I called it a day and we headed back but as we passed the big pond there was that nest six eagle with his talons stuck into the side of carp the size of a roadside billboard. A picture that was worth a thousand words, and would make any fisherman drool.
The eagle tried picking it up and flying off with it, but it fell from his grip.

So I photographed the eagle perched fifty feet on the other side of me as he shook the water from his feathers. That was the perfect ending to our day.

Then we went to KFC and I ordered an eight piece bucket with mashed potatoes and gravy for our side. "Make that original, and mostly dark meat if you can." I waited for them to say I am sorry we are out of something, but he didn't. Then I added, "Can you add a six piece honey BBQ?"
"Sorry, we are out of those."
Em started laughing.
"Okay."
"We have buffalo wings."
"Okay, we'll take six of those."
I drove up to the window and this nice man with a big smile says, "We are out of those spicy wings too, do you want to wait ten minutes?"

I told him we would pass tonight, and try them another night.

I'm looking forward to day 86.

See you on the journey--

Lisa

Day 84, Tuesday, 4/1/08, Year Four Dancer & Daedee: Snow Falling on Eagles

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Hello Eagle Friends,

It was a wonderful day in the valley today. The skies were blue, the air was cool, and the fields full of spring activity. The temperature was 33 when I arrived and about the same when I left tonight.

I found an eagle on nest 7 today when I arrived and when I left tonight I watched an eagle fly towards the nest but he disappeared into the dark shadows of the trees so I can't be sure that is where he went.

I started at nest 2 today. I spent about an hour trying to see if any eaglets had hatched. The winds were strong, 25-35 mph, so the eagles were huddling the nest and their eggs. I was there when Judy and The Mayor made their nest duty switch. Every day I learn just a little more about this young pair of eagles from their favorite perch trees to their favorite entry side of the nest.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get to show you the eaglet?

Nest 6 area was bursting with activity. The geese were constantly fighting and I captured many goose fights. Linda was up on the nest for day 24 incubation. About twenty minutes into sitting an immature eagle flew in and landed by the marsh and began preening.

Linda let out a vocalization that brought Dick, her mate in. He sat on the north side of this immature eagle. It didn't look like their 2007 eaglet. It was probably just a migrating eagle. Every move this eagle made Linda noticed and sent an alarm call to Dick, who was watching too.

Then a second immature eagle flew in about 40 minutes later, but this one perched on a back oxbow and sat in the shadows of the trees so I couldn't see him.

Dick ignored this eagle too, but from what I have learned the immature eagles are ignored, unless they are in their immediate nest area.

I moved on looking for the otters, but found none. I will get those sunny day shots -- one day.

I found the nest 5 eagle on their nest for day 33 incubation. I expect an eaglet there by the end of the week.

Nest 3 was sitting, for day 24. There were several red-winged blackbird males singing their little hearts out, but no females have arrived yet.

I found a pair of shovelers, a few lesser scaup, a pair of wood ducks, and of course mallards stirring up the various marshes.
The nest 4 eagle was on their nest for day 21 incubation and there was an eagle circling the frozen marsh below it, and I would like to say that it was the nest 4 mate, but it could have been any of the migrating eagles.

On my return trip back I found several flocks of ringed bill gulls and I enjoyed photographing them. I loved to listen to their cries and watch them dive, take a fish, and swallow it in the air before another gull snatches it from them.

There were two sandhill cranes on a back pond and the male began his crane dance while courting his female. That dance is something to watch with their long wings flailing about while leaping in the air with half bent legs and bobbing up and down.

The sun was already at the bluff line and I knew I only had an hour before it would be dark. I don't know how my days go so fast out in the wild. There were two sandhill cranes fishing on the edge of a marsh. I laughed at how they would jab their heads under the water and zig zag all around and almost every time come up with a fish. The lighting was so beautiful on them with the water reflecting long shadows and ripples onto their sandy brown feathers.

I saved nest 1 for last. I had barely taken fifty steps into the field when coyotes began yipping in a solid circle around me. They were close, maybe 200 feet but not much more than that. They never come in that close so I was uneasy with why they were calling out at my presence today. The only thing I could think of was one was already in my area I sit, and the others were calling it out, maybe that is why one sounded so exceptionally close.

I found an 8th nest today too. I am not convinced that it is active and I would have explored it further except that it was a good mile hike back and the sun was setting when I found it.

I'm looking forward to day 85.

See you on the journey--

Lisa