Bug Week

It was bug heaven at the Fish Pond this week. I think just about every kind of bug I've ever seen made an appearance at one point or another. A couple of times it looked like it was raining there were so many bugs hatching off the surface of the pond.

Late every afternoon the spiders went to work stringing together large webs in preparation for their evening feast. They would freeze in place whenever their new creations would vibrate because one of the millions of gnats, mosquito's or fly's would be unfortunate enough to get tangled in it.

It seemed like they were using the vibrations to determine where in the web there next meal was located and once they figured it out they would scurry to wrap it up. I was amazed to see how fast they can string up a disabled bug.

The buggiest thing of the week had nothing to do with insects though.

I have been trying get a photo that is clear enough to let me read the letters on the leg band of my favorite bald eagle for about three years now. I probably could have had several such pictures if I had opted to use bait to get her close enough to me but since I try to not interfere in her life in any way and feeding bald eagles has been described by the wildlife biologists I have been speaking with as "a real gray area" in regards to the Endangered Species Act I have always felt it better not to try it.

In quite a few photos I have of her you can see what are two distinct white blurs on the band that the biologist who helped band her and I are certain it is the number over letter code that identifies her. In one or two photos we have even been able to determine that the number in the code is a two.

In many photos the blurs do not appear though. Since the color of the band has always remained the same I have always just assumed this was because of the lighting, distance, or blurring caused by camera vibration or movements of the bird.

While reviewing pictures from an observation last Thursday I had about given up trying to read the letters I was looking for because of the reflection of the sun off of the band. Then, suddenly, it appeared in one of my photos. A distinct large single letter. Just as clear as a bell.

It seems as though we have either been seeing things in previous photos or I have actually been watching two different birds with the same colored leg band. This new discovery left me feeling confused to say the least but after reflecting on it for a day or two I am now more excited than ever at the possibility of have two of these magnificent birds to observe.

So now begins the search to solve this new mystery.

Have a great one! Get outside and learn something new about the wonderful world around you!

Kevin