Hello My Friend

I have been worried about the Goldens. I have not seen much of them this year. Willow has assured me they are still around as she sees them in the skies during recess.

School is on vacation this week. Yesterday we took a drive to a roadside entrance to a mountain trail. There were about 8 vehicles there before us. The trail was well maintained. We didn't hike very far in when Willow called, "Eagles, Eagles!"

I looked up just in time to see one soar past, low among the cliffs, and a second, and a third. I let out my whistle and we stood and waited. I didn't think they would respond. Then there they were, tight circling, just above the trees, looking down at us. I have to admit my eyes welled up; I was so happy.

We made it nearly to the summit when I was outvoted to stop for a lunchbreak on a lovely lookout outcropping. I had my first experiences with vertigo watching the Firebird standing so close to the edge. Suddenly I felt empathy for my mother when she used to freak out when I was that age and did the same thing, wondering what was she freaking out about?

Willow-sharp-eyes saw the eagles again= they cruised by about 50 feet off the cliff and I gave the whistle again. They came back about 20 feet away, streaming by. wings not even flapping. We were so thrilled!

We continued upwards through a plateau of oak and beech, perfect grey squirrel habitat. The eagles were still with us, now overhead.

No signs of squirrels despite the amount of den trees and habitat. A light went off . Were the eagles tagging us in hopes that we would startle up some prey? We had passed several places on the trail that had grey squirrel hair in bird excrement. Why, with so many acres of woods, were the eagles dropping their load on the trail?

The descent went much faster than the ascent, and before long we were on the flat trail headed back to the parking lot. A series of sharp twittering calls haunted us.

"They're saying goodbye" said one member of the hiking party.

"They're trying to teach me a new whistle," I said.

the whistle I generally use I have learned is an alert call. So maybe the reason the eagles come back is because they think I have an eagle under my shirt or something.

Then I recalled young Willow jumping up and down repeating her version of the whistle, which I am sure she does on the playground as well, and not for one second do I think the eagles think she has an eagle somewhere about her person because she simply is too small to hide one effectively. I also don't think eagles are that stupid! They surely realize what is whistling.

We reached the parking lot, the lone vehicle remaining, and wet our whistles. I tried out the new whistle, trying to remember it.

"Is that it?"

Suddenly the eagles were back, now circling us over the parking lot. I could hear another call from the base of the mountain, one I couldn't identify. Did the eagles have a hungry nestling?

If so, they were on their own hunting squirrel- as we left them with nothing but an empty parking spot and a darkening wood.

The Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ringed with the azure world he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls

,And like a thunderbolt he falls.-

-by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ugh

Today is not going very well. For starters, when I went to grain my goats this morning, I discovered that a skunk had been in the goat house during the night. The house smelled so bad I was retching-and the goats, some of whom slept in the house, didn't smell much better.

The bright spot? Thanks goodness I decided to wait another year before showing any goats at the fiber frolic tomorrow!!! I would have been pretty upset to be faced with skunky goats and a goat show! We are looking forward to going to see how things are run to be better prepared next year.

Other screwy things include going to the laundry to discover the accounts lady had just used all the hot water-so I drove another 20 miles + to another laundry to have our whites come out dirtier than when they went in-despite the unusual pretreating effort I did, and actually used bleach for a change. They must have hard water, because I kept adding soap but it just wouldn't foam....So now, a lot of the clothes will be permanently stained since they went in the dryer before I realized their condition.

Then on the way home I stopped to buy hay and the dealer was out-so I went to another dealer and while we were loading, ambulances and firetrucks went racing by-never a good sign. The fire was at a dome home I had been in years ago for a child's birthday party...gone now, and I hope the occupants made it out safely!

The Senate squashed a climate change bill today that would have capped emissions and created a CO2 trading deal-mostly aimed at large companies. Although the bill had more yes than no votes, there was not enough to override a Republican filibuster. Because it would have been too costly economically. Hello? How much worse can it be when gas is $4 a gallon ? Oh right, costly to BIG BUSINESS. I wonder how many midwestern senators voted against it-while their towns are being devasted by tornadoes and flooding?

There is some good news. An Eagle named Beauty, whose beak was shot off by poachers has received a temporay prosthetic beak. Quite interesting, here's the link for a slideshow and more information about raptor rehabilitation.
http://birdsofpreynorthwest.org/

Golden visit

I was sitting down at the comp to download a few pics, and there in the foreground was an eagle, soaring, circling, riding the thermals and scouting. Well, through dirty double-paned glass and with the maple budding out in the foreground (the front branch is about 12 feet from my window) I thought it still made a nice sillouhette!

In a previous blog life, I have stated that Maine is the most most beautiful place from May to October, and here we are rounding on the middle of April and the height of mudseason...well, today was an eagle day! :)

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

March 24, 2008

Tree

That's right, children! A Golden Eagle! *does a little happy dance*

I used to live inside the range of the only breeding pairof Golden Eagles in the state. I would stand out in the dooryard, and hear them call as they were soaring, so I started calling back. I lived there about ten years. Then I moved about 100 miles away, but once took a friend on a roadtrip to the area.

I parked the car on the side of the road up on the blueberry barrens, just down the road from where I used to live. It was an excellent place to spot the goldens, but no sign of them when we stepped out. Since it was a nice day, I said, "let's wait a minute," and sure enough, a spot appeared in the sky.

I started whistling and whether the bird recognized the whistle or the car, or we just stuck out standing along the road, I'll never know. But it flew straight for us and circled lazily overhead.

Having deadlines to meet, we got back in the car and headed down the road, and the bird shadowed us over the road for about a half a mile, which was really cool!

Excuse me if I have shared this story before on the old blog-but it was a good one, and one that I love to tell! Heheh.

Back to today. I was driving home from the farm after combing a bunch of goats, and happened to have the camera on the seat from taking farm pix. I was in the golden's range, and another spot where I have frequently seen them in the past.

There it was! Circling over a gravel pit, roadside. I slowed the car and pulled to the right, sticking my head out the window and whistling while groping for the cam. I was in a bad spot, with a high embankment along the road to block the pit, but could see the bird through the young trees growing on the bank.

I kept whistling and decided to risk pulling ahead to get clear of the bank. The eagle stayed in view, circling and checking me out, while I was snapping pics off rapidfire. Finally the eagle flew off-up the road, and I took several of it retreating.

None of the pics are spot clear at that distance-this one was one of my favorites. :)