Summer Approaches

The week began with some of the windiest weather to hit our area in over ten years. While I'm not one to normally be bothered by a little shower the threat of pouring rain or lightning will usually keep me indoors. Throw in heavy winds and not only won't I be able to take photos but I usually don't sleep a lot.

I know its not nice to "not" trust mother nature but there's just something about a ton and a half of eagles nest swaying in a steady 35 to 40 mile per hour wind that makes me wonder just how much one old pine tree can take. It drives me nuts. I spend more time watching the nest than I do sitting at the pond.

The forecast for Monday night had been for wind gusts up to 80 mph and I was very worried that the nest would come down or one of the eaglets would lose its grip and be blown out. Fortunately for the nests young residents it seems to have survived this latest battering.

Conditions are finally right for our resident turtles to begin to appear. I ran into one very large one while checking the nest yesterday. By northern Michigan standards it was huge.

He had wondered out onto the road I travel to observe the nest. At first I thought someone had left a large rock on the gravel where it meets the end of the pavement. He was still damp from his 25 yard trip up from the lake and his back was covered in moss.

He sat almost motionless until a passer by saw me laying on the road taking his picture. She was kind enough to pull up behind me to see if I was alright but when she got out of her car this wonderful prehistoric looking guy slowly raised himself onto his slow but steady legs and made as much of a run for it as he could. He didn't look like he was in the mood for many more photos so I didn't pursue him into his grassy hiding place.

Eagle sightings at the pond itself have been few and far between of late. Partly because of the recent weather and part of it may be because of the age of the area eaglets. The young birds have started to make their way out onto the branches that support the nest and I'm sure it won't be long until they fledge. This might be keeping the adult birds closer to home.

My friend the Green Heron has apparently decided to hunt here at the Fish Pond on a regular basis. He snuck up on me the other day appearing rather suddenly at the stump end of a fallen tree that the Kingfishers use as a perch. He spent a fair amount of time making his way out to end of the tree stopping along the way to groom and fish before flying to the opposite end of the pond.

The Kingfishers are still in a continous feeding mode. As much as it would make for some great photos I am resisting the urge to try to figure out where their nest is. About three years ago my young daughter stuck her head into one of the shrubs in front of our house scaring a female finch off of her nest. She never came back and the chicks in the nest died the next day. Ever since then I have been very nervous about approaching nests of any kind.

Kingfishers are a lot of fun to watch especially when they make what I assume is their first trip to the pond every morning. They appear out from under the trees and straight into the water. They splash around for a few seconds and then jump up to a low perch. They shake and fluff themselves then jump back in and splash around a couple of more times before heading off to hunt. I could watch just them and the herons all day long.

As promised, I have started collecting questions from readers and begun forwarding them to a true eagle expert for answers.

Michael Watkins is a wildlife biologist who works for the Army Corp of Engineers in Kansas. He has been actively involved in the banding and studying of the American Bald Eagle both as part of his job and as a personal hobby for the last twenty years. Mr. Watkins as well as Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Dan Mulhern have been a great help and source of information for me in the time I have been watching the eagles at the Fish Pond. I can't tell you how much I appreciate their time and willingness to share their knowledge. Mr. Watkins has kindly agreed to field your questions and help all of us learn a little more about this beautiful bird.

This Posts Reader Question and Answer from the Eagle Expert.

From: Liz in Missouri

"Hey have any of you ever seen Bald Eagles eat carrion? My hubby said one was in the field several days where we were cutting hay, and would take off with what looked like turtles that the cutter had hit. I thought it was strange, but I believe him as he knows what they look like."

Answer:

"Yes, bald eagles will definitely eat carrion. Although they are very proficient hunters, they will take advantage of an easy carrion meal when the opportunity arises. The carrion must be relatively fresh however, they will not eat older decaying carrion like turkey vultures do. I have personally observed bald eagles eating dead fish and road kill deer."

Thanks Mike and everyone else, KEEP THE QUESTIONS COMING!

Have a great one and get outside, its a wonderful world!

Kevin