Post by baja252 on Jan 29, 2014 16:54:54 GMT -6
On Monday jlr and I went back to the dam to see if the increased water release from the dam would bring more eagles out. It was only about 11 degrees and the wind was howling, cold doesn’t begin to describe it. Even in the truck with the heater on, when we put the windows down to take photos our face and fingers would be numb in 30 seconds. The higher water release from the dam did the trick; we saw 40 to 50 eagles! We took a lot of photos, most from far away and I have to admit when I got home and looked at them on the computer I wasn’t very happy with any of the ones I took. It’s not that they are bad photos, they are just so far away and you can’t really see much detail. I decided to try again on Tuesday. It was still very cold, but this time with hardly any wind. They were generating even more power, so the river was really flowing and boy did the eagles show up.
When I drove down behind the dam right off I see several eagles flying around.
The biggest difference between the E’s and the eagles below the dam is the E’s live around people. These eagles clearly don’t. When they see a person or a car moving they go somewhere else. As you drive down the road towards the river you see them ahead of you coming out of the trees and moving further down the river.
The seagulls however aren’t afraid to snatch a fish right in front of you.
I proceeded down to the water as slow as I could make the truck go. It did seem to scare them a little less by going slow. There were eagles everywhere!
It looks like there are seven or eight eagles in this photo, in reality there are about a dozen. Even the adults with their white head blend into the background.
Here is another example; there are more eagles than you see.
Now I’ll zoom in a little and circle the eagles.
Here’s yet another example of the numbers of eagles at the river today.
I imagine you’re asking yourself, “How does one loan juvie in a tree represent the large number of eagles?” The answer is; by showing you no matter what direction you look, you see at least one eagle. Even in the mirror of the truck.
When I arrived at the river’s edge there were eagles catching fish all along the river. They would fly out from the trees, grab a fish and return to shore to eat. The fish they are eating are small shad, so they did this over and over again before they got full.
I could post pictures of different eagles catching fish all day, but they all look about the same. I was looking for something different. Then “SHE” showed up. These photos were taken thru the windshield of the truck.
She was so big, it was obvious it was a female and she landed right in front of me! Unlike the others, she wasn’t scared at all.
I kept looking at her and she kind of looked like Elsie, but I wasn't sure. I put a photo up on the forum and asked everyone on chat if they thought it was her, but the consensus was it wasn't her. So I’m calling her, Not Elsie. She took trip after trip to the river and back to the same limb each time to eat her fish. She made it look effortless, I got to seven trips and I quit counting. I started timing the trips. Seven minutes each time, fly, catch, return, eat and then a three minute rest before she went out again.
Did I say Not Elsie was big?
Even all the way across the river her wingspan is enormous.
I only saw her miss one time all day; lucky fish.
At one point she was sitting watching the river when a couple of adult males flew in and landed very close to her. Perhaps they were a couple of bachelors looking for a date?
She studied them for all of about 15 seconds, and without making a sound she suddenly leaned forward. I have no idea what message she sent to them, but they got it and those two males took off like scared little rabbits.
As I was leaving this little guy flew in with a fish. He’s the smallest adult I’ve ever seen. Even his beak looks small. It also reminds me of the awesome photo Dec shot of Stein eating a fish near the nest.
On the way home I ran across an old Goodyear Tire and Battery sign that was nailed on a tree. Obviously one of the nails must have came out and the sign rotated sideways and the tree grew around it. I wonder how long that took to grow around the sign.
When I drove down behind the dam right off I see several eagles flying around.
The biggest difference between the E’s and the eagles below the dam is the E’s live around people. These eagles clearly don’t. When they see a person or a car moving they go somewhere else. As you drive down the road towards the river you see them ahead of you coming out of the trees and moving further down the river.
The seagulls however aren’t afraid to snatch a fish right in front of you.
I proceeded down to the water as slow as I could make the truck go. It did seem to scare them a little less by going slow. There were eagles everywhere!
It looks like there are seven or eight eagles in this photo, in reality there are about a dozen. Even the adults with their white head blend into the background.
Here is another example; there are more eagles than you see.
Now I’ll zoom in a little and circle the eagles.
Here’s yet another example of the numbers of eagles at the river today.
I imagine you’re asking yourself, “How does one loan juvie in a tree represent the large number of eagles?” The answer is; by showing you no matter what direction you look, you see at least one eagle. Even in the mirror of the truck.
When I arrived at the river’s edge there were eagles catching fish all along the river. They would fly out from the trees, grab a fish and return to shore to eat. The fish they are eating are small shad, so they did this over and over again before they got full.
I could post pictures of different eagles catching fish all day, but they all look about the same. I was looking for something different. Then “SHE” showed up. These photos were taken thru the windshield of the truck.
She was so big, it was obvious it was a female and she landed right in front of me! Unlike the others, she wasn’t scared at all.
I kept looking at her and she kind of looked like Elsie, but I wasn't sure. I put a photo up on the forum and asked everyone on chat if they thought it was her, but the consensus was it wasn't her. So I’m calling her, Not Elsie. She took trip after trip to the river and back to the same limb each time to eat her fish. She made it look effortless, I got to seven trips and I quit counting. I started timing the trips. Seven minutes each time, fly, catch, return, eat and then a three minute rest before she went out again.
Did I say Not Elsie was big?
Even all the way across the river her wingspan is enormous.
I only saw her miss one time all day; lucky fish.
At one point she was sitting watching the river when a couple of adult males flew in and landed very close to her. Perhaps they were a couple of bachelors looking for a date?
She studied them for all of about 15 seconds, and without making a sound she suddenly leaned forward. I have no idea what message she sent to them, but they got it and those two males took off like scared little rabbits.
As I was leaving this little guy flew in with a fish. He’s the smallest adult I’ve ever seen. Even his beak looks small. It also reminds me of the awesome photo Dec shot of Stein eating a fish near the nest.
On the way home I ran across an old Goodyear Tire and Battery sign that was nailed on a tree. Obviously one of the nails must have came out and the sign rotated sideways and the tree grew around it. I wonder how long that took to grow around the sign.