Post by baja252 on Feb 18, 2014 19:51:14 GMT -6
It's been very cold at the lake for weeks, but this weekend it started to warm up a little.
We had some sleet yesterday that melted and some drizzle last night, so there is water sitting on top of the ice giving it a very surreal look.
With the lake about 99% frozen the local wildlife tends to gather around any open water they can find. Most of the open water is around docks where the owner has put out a bubbler to keep ice from freezing around their dock.
Even the local eagles like to hang out at the edge of the ice. These two are the pair that lives by Gravois Mills.
Her mate was 20' away.
There was even a juvie hanging out with them on the ice. I wonder if it's one of theirs? I also wonder if they will have eggs soon.
I watched them take off together and head down the shore.
I was hoping to see them go to a nest, so I watched them until they went out of sight.
The juvie stayed on the ice for another half hour. The late afternoon sun was a brilliant bright orange color and lit him up as he stood alone on the ice.
This is the juvie that was at the nest on Saturday flying past Puddinkitty Island after Stein chased it away. You can see some open water to the right of the island with several coots swimming around.
I stopped by the nest right as Elsie was getting ready eat dinner. Stein brought her in a coot and left it in the new nest.
While she was eating Stein re-arranged the nest a little.
When she was done eating her half, she moved up to the top limb and Stein joined her at the new nest for his dinner.
This is one strange looking eagle....................... Actually its both E's mating.
Sitting side by side, keeping an eye on the nest. At this time it was believed to be one egg in the nest.
I love how they can look backwards.
A good photo to see some of differences between Elsie, on the left and Stein on the right. Her bigger body and wings make her look stocky compared to Stein, however in all fairness she most likely was forming another egg when this photo was taken. Her tail is a little longer and I always think she has more brown in her wings. Her head feathers always look more fluffy compared to Steins, which makes her eyes look inset further.
We had some sleet yesterday that melted and some drizzle last night, so there is water sitting on top of the ice giving it a very surreal look.
With the lake about 99% frozen the local wildlife tends to gather around any open water they can find. Most of the open water is around docks where the owner has put out a bubbler to keep ice from freezing around their dock.
Even the local eagles like to hang out at the edge of the ice. These two are the pair that lives by Gravois Mills.
Her mate was 20' away.
There was even a juvie hanging out with them on the ice. I wonder if it's one of theirs? I also wonder if they will have eggs soon.
I watched them take off together and head down the shore.
I was hoping to see them go to a nest, so I watched them until they went out of sight.
The juvie stayed on the ice for another half hour. The late afternoon sun was a brilliant bright orange color and lit him up as he stood alone on the ice.
This is the juvie that was at the nest on Saturday flying past Puddinkitty Island after Stein chased it away. You can see some open water to the right of the island with several coots swimming around.
I stopped by the nest right as Elsie was getting ready eat dinner. Stein brought her in a coot and left it in the new nest.
While she was eating Stein re-arranged the nest a little.
When she was done eating her half, she moved up to the top limb and Stein joined her at the new nest for his dinner.
This is one strange looking eagle....................... Actually its both E's mating.
Sitting side by side, keeping an eye on the nest. At this time it was believed to be one egg in the nest.
I love how they can look backwards.
A good photo to see some of differences between Elsie, on the left and Stein on the right. Her bigger body and wings make her look stocky compared to Stein, however in all fairness she most likely was forming another egg when this photo was taken. Her tail is a little longer and I always think she has more brown in her wings. Her head feathers always look more fluffy compared to Steins, which makes her eyes look inset further.