River Watch

Every year there is an Outdoor Show in Fairbanks promoting outdoor activities around the state.  As we turned into the parking area, we saw this guy sitting observing the activity along the river.  Luckily I had brought my camera along, so I spent a bit of time admiring him.

In a tree nearby a Raven was making a lot of noise.  I do believe he was taunting the Eagle.  The Raven comes by the name of Trickster quite honestly.

We went to the Outdoor Show to pick up some brochures for some travel adventures this summer.  I got the brochures, but this sighting was definitely the highlight of the show!

Scenes From My Backyard

Spring has arrived in my back yard.  The leaves are very close to popping out.  

There are still remnants of snow in a few shady spots, but most of the snow melt has disappeared and the ground is dry.

 My perennial beds are showing signs of life with Jacob's ladder, wild iris, columbine, rhubarb, ornamental onion, and more.

As we sat on the deck yesterday morning there was activity from the birds that have been arriving over the last few weeks.  The Robins and Juncos were bouncing around on the ground, and I saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler in the trees.  Flying overhead was a Seagull, and later I saw Ravens and a pair of Trumpeter Swans, which I didn't get photos of.  There were also several mechanical birds as they approached or took off from the little airport not too far from our house.

My favorite sighting though was an Eagle drifting along on the air currents, looking for a meal.  He's welcome to any of the many voles we've been seeing in our yard this year.

The day began with sunny skies but by late afternoon clouds began to roll in.  All in all it was a good day to do a little yard cleanup.

The Eagles Nest

One of the most incredible things we saw when we were in Washington was an Eagles nest. We were driving along one of the country roads, and there in a big tree right behind a house was a huge nest. In this photo you can see two Eagles, one perched at the very top. That will give you some idea of the size of the tree and the nest a third of the way down the tree. It was huge! I think there was room for a kitchen, bath, and several bedrooms. An Eagle's nest is normally about five feet across but is reused year to year and over the years some become enormous, up to nine feet across and weighing two tons.

Imagine having these guys nesting in your backyard!

These first shots were taken on a partly sunny day and there were just two Eagles hanging around.

We first saw the nest the day before on a rainy day and there were a number of Eagles perched in the branches of the tree and the surrounding trees. Unfortunately the lighting wasn't great that day so I've brightened these next photos up. However, there was a lot of activity going on.

The Eagles flew around a bit showing off their dramatic coloring.

They even spent some time in the nest, although it isn't time for them to lay their eggs. They looked like they might have had some food in the nest that they were working on.

As you can see, the nest is big enough for a good-sized family, although the clutch size is normally one to three eggs. In the Pacific Northwest eggs are laid in late March or early April.

Eagles are really quite impressive when they spread their wings and fly!

In Interior Alaska we only see Eagles in the summer, and then not usually the close encounters we had in the Skagit Valley. If you ever find yourself there in December or January, head out on some of the country roads. Along with the Bald Eagles, Snow Geese and Trumpeter Swans also overwinter there in large numbers. It provides some wonderful birding opportunities.

Eagles in the Skagit Valley

Many birds overwinter in the Skagit Valley of Washington. As we drove around the farming country that makes up much of the valley we saw a lot of Bald Eagles. We were fortunate to have one day that was partly sunny and so I was able to get some decent shots.

There were a lot of birds still in their juvenile plumage. It takes five years to acquire the distinctive white head and tail of the adult.

The eagle's wingspan is about 6-1/2 feet so they really get your attention when they fly.

You see the eagles perched in the trees, but many of them perch on the telephone poles.

They didn't seem to be too concerned with human activity around them.

Some of the perches didn't look substantial enough for such a large bird.

They were enjoying the flooded conditions of the fields because it brought many little critters up out of the ground and provided good opportunities for a meal. Tomorrow I'll post some shots of the huge nest we saw.