The Eagle Diary, Part I

One of my assignments is so much fun.  I have to go sit and watch the nesting eagles. Our law enforcement officer had seen and eagle sitting on eggs March 15 or 16.  The parents start incubating the eggs as soon as the first one is laid. The next egg is laid 48-72 hours later.  So we were expecting babies by about April 27.  But, although the staff usually took a few minutes to look at the nest, no one had seen any babies until I started watching the nest for longer periods of time. I got to bring home their first picture.

Watching them consists of me sitting in a refuge truck, listening to the radio and using my naked eyes, binoculars, and camera.  I use the time on the pictures to catch up with the text report when too many things are happening at once. Then I sometimes can read when I know I'm about an hour away from more action. Here are my notes and SOME of the pictures.  I take 50 - 80 pictures every day, mostly to get the times things are happening and also because I can't yet see the babies with my naked eye and the camera is better than the binoculars.

Eagle notes 

4/28

7:05. Spouse flew in low across the water from E and flew up to nest. No fish, just sitting beside nesting bird

Eagles about to change out nesting duty

7:12 one bird flew west

4/29

6:51 Probably male - looks smaller than bird flying yesterday - appeared from west and flew over marsh.  Ignored ducks flying in and landing. Flew into tree east of pole .

7:11 Nesting bird stood up with back to me and leaned over edge of nest. Appears to be eating.  Other bird still in tree.

7:14   Same bird back to sitting on nest - other bird still in tree. 

7:22 Tree bird flew to far side of marsh, then east along it to tall pine tree, almost directly behind Area Closed sign, just a little to right, and just above birches. Think he's hunting. can see sign and eagle in same field.

7:32 Tree swallows by nest.  Male arrived - first saw him in the pic. Think he  brought a fish mother continued to feed 2 chicks While flew to electric pole - one without lines almost in front of the nest. Think male came in from Hwy 1 side.

Dad watching mom feed a chick

7:24 Mother appears to be eating _ male still sitting

7:26 mother sitting on babies - male in same spot

7:28 Male flew toward nest bit didn't land. Lost him while taking a pic.

4/30 

6:00 Eagle standing on nest when I arrived. Got scope on nest and saw two little off- white heads.

First time I got to see mother with two chicks

6:09 Mother covering chicks

7:10 Mother stood and I started taking pictures. Got mother with 2 chicks. 

7:11 Father arrived while I was shooting. Think he brought a fish, but could not document. 

6:12P  Female feeding two babies. Male flew in to telephone pole while taking nest pictures. He left almost immediately. Got best pic of female and two babies

Mother and babies in evening light

May 1 

7:30 Male on pole and female appearing to feed young. 

7:45 male flew after something in marsh between nest and viewing 

platform. Could not be sure but looked like a swimming pair of mammals. He seemed to abort and then landed north of the little body of water.  Then he checked out the animals again but didn't attack and flew to evergreen tree across the marsh.

8:00 Mother covering chicks and male still sitting in tree.

8:11 Male flew to nest and stayed 

8:13 Female go up and lifted wings. Both birds still on nest and then male flew off toward St. Croix River. Female to feed babies that were still out of view.

8:25 Female sitting high and still. I left.

16:30 Noticed new evergreen branch in nest. Males usually do this.  It is on north side.

May 2

6:35 Male on his telephone post

6:36 Male flew south over marsh

6:50 Male came in from south with a big stick.  He landed on the nest and laid it down. Female immediately flew to telephone pole while male covered chicks.

6:52 Male appears to be feeding chicks but can't see them.

7:00 Male feeding babies. Female on post.

7:02 Female flew while I photographed male feeding chick.

7:06 Male sitting quietly on nest.

7:22 No change

7:43 No change.  I left.

May 3

6:00 One parent on nest

6:24 parent on post flew towards St.Croix River

6:32 pic of bird on nest

6:39 osprey hunting near nest - flew over osprey platform next to nest. Parent did not respond. Lost sight of osprey.

6:50 no change

6:03  Other parent flew in from St. Croix without fish and went directly to the nest. 

6:04 Parent on nest - think female - flew to post - parent on nest feeding chicks - could see two chicks.

6:11 parent sitting on nest and other parent on post

6:18 Bird flew from post

6:31 Osprey hunting near nest. Flew over osprey platform next to eagle nest. Eagle showed no response.

7:03 Same eagle still sitting quietly on nest.

7:18 no change

7:25 Bird flew in from marsh with fish and immediately started feeding chicks. Pic of both birds. Then nest bird flew to post for about a minute and they'd flew off towards River

Family portrait

Another changing of the guard

7:32 still feeding chicks

7:33 Covering chicks

7:35 Bird sitting quietly on nest

7:36 Left

May 6 

8:55 one parent covering chicks. Other parent apparently hunting from tree on NW side of Marsh.

8:59 Photographing parent in tree when it turned towards the nest and flew there. Also heard vocalizations. When I focused there only tree bird was there and discovered nest bird  circling. overhead. Bird circled over truck and disappeared. Tree bird fed chicks. 

9:09  Saw bird on nest fly back to tree and other bird return to the nest. Heard vocalizations. Bird in nest fed chicks - think brought back a fish - fed, then covered chicks. Other bird - think the male sitting in tree.

Male spends a lot of time in this tree which is closer to me than is the nest

9:12 Think female covering chicks and male in tree

10:46 No change. 

10:48 Nest eagle gone or out of sight. Other eagle still in tree.

10:49 Osprey flew over nest/tree area and eagle in tree flew to nest. Pic of him feeding one baby.  Nest eagle is gone and I did not see her leave.  Nest without either parent for about 2 minutes.

Male eagle looking back at nest and osprey

They he flew back to the nest

11:07 Looks like male -tree bird- attempting to cover chicks. He has been feeding at least one of them most of the time. Have also seen chicks moving around in nest at feeding times. 

Add caption

11:10 Male on nest covering chicks. No sign of other bird.

11:29 Osprey hunting

11:31 turkey vulture flew through

11:36 Female came in from St. Croix River, flying low over field by me, then flying up to nest. Think she had a fish. She landed on right of the nest and seemed to be tearing fish up. Male continued to sit on chicks on left of the nest for several pic, then flew to tree.

Bye, Dad

Baby is growing fast and starting to move around in nest

11:48 Returning bird continues to feed chicks, but can't get them in pics.

11:49 Probable female back on nest.

11:50 Female sitting chicks and male in tree - left

I'm down to my last 10% of battery with no way to charge the computer so I'll have to tell you more about my day to day life later. Finished the amphibian survey and still doing the woodcock surveys. 

  

The Birds of May

I just got around to putting out a suet feeder and a tray feeder filled with black oil sunflower seed.  Sunday, May 1, was the third day I'd had the bird food out on my back deck and was constantly stopping other work to try and take photos of all the different species of birds.  I had the first purple finches I've seen in about 20 years, goldfinches, with the male in stunning and glorious yellow, pine siskins and extremely spiffy white-crowned sparrows. Dark-eyed juncos showed up and the eastern phoebe and blue-headed vireo called almost constantly. I heard and saw mourning doves but haven't seen them at the feeder yet.

A male white-throated sparrow  in fresh feathers

American goldfinch - probably a young male

American goldfinch in eye-blinding yellow

Junco's have found the bounty

These are purple finches - haven't gotten to see them for over 20 years

Ms. purple finch

I found my niger feeder, so bought nigher.  The pine siskins are fighting over it and only occasionally allow a goldfinch to access it.

Pine siskins are so bold, they will let me get about 8 feet of them

A very spiffy and shy chipping sparrow - that's my hammock straps on the back deck

A singing song sparrow

And I caught up with a few birds that will be with us this summer the last few days of April.  On April 28, I started seeing hermit thrushes and by the following day, they were everywhere. And I started hearing ruffed grouse boom, and then watched one display on the road while I was checking water levels.  We have had ring-necked ducks since I've arrived but one pair was obviously courting.

Hords of hermit thrushes showed up April 28

NOW I understand why he is named ruffed grouse

This pair was doing some courting displays

And of course,  our resident eagle will still be here. I'll give you an entire blog in a few to several more weeks. Currently I'm watching the nest from around six o'clock until about seven-forty or so, when I go to "work". My favorite picture so far is of mom feeding the two chicks.  I'm working at the very end of my camera's ability so they are not my usual quality.

Eaglets morning of May 3

Monday I saw the first hooded mergansers, although they live here year around.  And yesterday, I heard a few catbirds, and have been hearing blue-headed vireos for a few days. Still waiting for a look at them. 

I just realized I've been running so fast, I didn't notice that I passed my 500th blog milestone. This is blog number 502. Thanks for reading and commenting on them.  You comments feel like I get to visit with you. 

I'm joining Wild Bird Wednesday.  Click the picture below to read more wonderful blogs from around the world about wild birds. 

Exploring Fundy National Park

April 24, 2016

I am currently living almost on the American/Canadian Border so at least half of my driving trips will be in Canada. Last Saturday we had rainy weather so I decided to only go off for a day trip on Sunday. I thought this blog would be about my visit to all the local saints – that is cities named for saints, St. Steven just across the St. Croix River from me – down Canada Highway 1, there are towns belonging to St. Andrew, St. George, St. John, and St. Martins.

I wanted to be out early for good photography light so I was crossing the border at 5:30 A. M. But at each place I could go explore coastal cities along the route, I decided I was too early, so decided to go as far as I could and then work my way back. Before I knew it, I was at the turn for Fundy National Park. There I got so distracted, that I ended up spending most of my non-traveling day there.

The park rises high above Fundy Bay and offers great views of it. The park is still mostly shut down for the season and only offers day use, as far as I could tell. I could not find any maps of information on Park attractions but did have a few attractions listed in my guide to New Brunswick.

This is an engraved poster showing the park.  I live off the left hand corner. 

I saw this view from several levels - this is not far above the shore

I stopped at every attraction near the highway as I came south through the park. Within a few stops, I realized that the park has a signature icon – a family set of lounge chairs. I kept seeing them at viewing points along my drive.

First view of red chairs-apparently all families should have two children

Chairs overlooking the bay near the closed Visitor Center

Another set of chairs

This looks like a squirrel but it had a rat tail

One of the attractions I knew about was Dickson Falls. It is on the road that leads from the Visitor Center to Wolf Point, a road that runs high above Fundy Bay. It was easy to find and I took the loop trail, starting with the one labeled the shortest. That trail led me to an overlook almost at eye level with the upper part of the falls. I wanted to get closer, so took a side trail that then led down many steps to the bottom of the falls, and then on down along Dickson Creek, which by the way is completely within the park. By the time I was finished, I'd walked the complete circle of trails. 

Some of the stairs going down to the falls

These plants were just starting to grow - Les or anyone - what are they?

The falls were beautiful

The moses made for a beautiful landscape

Finally the easy down ended, and I had to climb a set of about 50 steps and then walk up a pretty steep path to return to the parking lot.

On the way back up I found a tiny falls over a log in a side stream

This dark-eyed junco seemed to be posing so I took his picture

I found that one of Maine's covered bridges is also on the road to Wolf Point. In fact, I had to drive through it to get to Wolf Point. There I hiked down to the Wolf Point Beach which was only a narrow comma of sand in a little bay.

Wolf Point Bridge

You can enjoy the view of the bridge from a set of red chairs

The trail down to Wolf Point Beach

I think this is a spruce grouse 

I decided to go find a restaurant in the town of Alma, which adjoins the refuge. I'd been seeing ads for Alma's Lobster so went to find it. It was closed and will open “soon”. I did find one restaurant open and ate lunch there. I had a very delicious seafood chowder, and sauteed scallops.

Sounded great - will have to go back

I was amazed at finding these wild blooming flowers near Alma's Lobster Shop

Molly Kool was America's first American sea captain and was a native of Alma

Part of Alma is on a hill

As ever, I enjoyed the churches along the way. 

Loved how the steeple and door was in the corner

I was getting tired in the early afternoon and decided to start home. I noticed that I could make a small detour to see another covered bridge.

This bridge is not as scenic

I last remember enjoying pussy willows as a five year old so I'm loving them up here

This cute church has been recycled into a gift shop but it was closed

 I noticed that St. John has a reversing falls. I figured I had enough energy to check it out and enjoyed the view of the water and the city in the evening light. 

Reversing falls in St. John

 On the personal front, I'm having a blast.  I got the bears in my header picture while out checking our numerous water control features. And I've been given the job of checking out the nesting eagle.  I got a picture of mom and a baby on April 28 and a terrible picture of mom and two babies on April 30.  I'm working on an Eagle Diary that I'll share with you in a few weeks so you can watch the babies grow up. And I'm really loving hiking around with Mike.  Last week, we stopped and tried to figure out some strange finch-like birds.  Turns out they were red crossbills, a lifer for me.  And we had a pine siskin come within four feet of us.  And this morning I met our resident woodchuck.  He lives in a drain pipe near the headquarters building. I'll take my camera and try for a picture of him soon. And I set up bird feeders Friday and have white-throated sparrows visiting.


HAPPY MAY DAY - although if feels more like March up here