Eagle Research Journal January 17, 2016
I got out to the blind before 8:15…in the middle of a white out. The temperatures are in the teens with below zero wind chill…winds out of the west…little fluff snow that is blowing and drifting. The crows arrived around 8:45 but are just sitting in the trees across the road. The little birds are enjoying the time alone…chickadees serenading me with hairy woodpecker drumming out the beat.
Finally around 9:30 the crows decided to come over to my side of the road. They had been out in the cornfield…like they like to do. They didn’t come down on the ground till around 10:00…really jumpy. Hopefully that means there are eagles out there somewhere.
Wow….I just watched several crows attacking another crow. I thought the poor thing was a goner. They were relentless. All the crows on the pile went up in to the trees. They all started screaming…like in an ancient gladiator film…the crowds cheering on the attackers. Now I know why they are called a murder of crows…hundreds of them were squawking their heads off. Amazingly the poor attacked crow came out of this one alive. We did just find out first dead crow…we think its neck was broken. Now I can see just how that might have happened.
Well the all finally flew off after the fight was over and went to the cornfield to have a toast to the victor of that round. Now they are back and starting to get rowdy again at 10:30. It’s a cacophony of chaos!
Yeah!! I have a 1st year in the tree just across the road. It didn’t sit too long before it came over the tree to the east of the blind. Then in made quick fly by…back in the tree…then finally came in. It had found a piece of carrion near the covey. It ate on it awhile then flew across the road with it. There another 1st came in to investigate what the first one had. They both flew back to the big tree.
Finally the one without the food came in to the tree in the yard. It sat for quite some time before it came over to the east of the blind…but it didn’t sit long. It flew into the tree by the mini barn and sat for almost an hour. In the meantime the other 1st year came back to sit in the yard. Then around 11:50 an adult flew in and landed in the big tree across the road. It didn’t stay long but flew to the north.
A few ravens have come in to stir up the crows…as if they need any stirring. All of a sudden the eagle next to the mini barn flew….into the maple in our front yard…where a 3rd year eagle was!! The 3rd year flew across the road into the big tree. The 1st year stayed in the maple and the other 1st year chattered from the tree just across the road. What a great day and it is only 12:30.
Well, a car just drove by slowly and spooked all of my eagles. They are stilling all together in the big tree back in the field. But I have a feeling they will be in at some point today. It is time for a quick break to get ready for the next round.
Well one just disappeared…and the snow is moving back in heavy. Another has disappeared but I spotted an adult flying then landing in a pine tree to the north of the house. Then I found a rough-legged hawk in the tree to the far east of the blind…and all before 1:00pm.
Well RLH came in to the closer tree to the east then flew around to a pine tree. Then it flew off to the north followed by a barrage of screaming crows.
I’m getting a little quiet time with the crows sitting in the trees…the snow gently falling and the hairy and downy woodpeckers chirping away at 1:30pm. I can still see one of the young eagles in the big tree across the road.
My roughie is back sitting on top of a little maple tree….just sitting waiting for the crows to return…I guess. I think they help it know when the eagle is on the move…at 1:40pm.
The rough-legged hawk continued to just sat as a raven spent fifteen minutes gronking at it. Then Michael came home and it flew to the west. The one young eagle is still just sitting in the big tree across the road at 2:10pm.
Oh and my one foot gull is still in the area. It has been here for the last three weeks at least. It seems to do quite well with just one foot and a ‘stump’ for the other leg.
I’m having some fun with the dark-eyed juncos, chickadees, nuthatch and little woodpeckers. Michael has but out see and peanut butter for them…along with the suet from the carrion.
The sun is peeking out…bring on the raptors. No such luck…just gulls and crows came in…and my one eagle disappeared around 2:45pm along with the sun.
Well the snow is back along with a murder of crows and the two adult eagles at 3:00pm. They are in the big tree out in the field across the road. They tend to just sit and try to deter the hawks from coming in.
Good grief…I look out…the adult eagles are gone. Then as if by magic one is in the tree in yard across the road. Of course it just sits and sits and sits. So the sun breaks out and I think ‘great’ I’ll get some nice shots in better lighting….no such luck. The clouds moved back in and so has the snow at 3:30pm
Finally I ignore the eagle….it takes off…I thought it would be in front of the blind but no…a rough-legged hawk is in the tree to the east of the blind. So where did the eagle go? Well a few minutes later I looked out…it’s back in the tree across the road. But now it is snowing so hard I can barely see either of them. Great I took my eyes off roughie. I just saw it take off but it didn’t come in front of the blind. It must have swung to the south of me. The eagle is still sitting in the tree just across the road…at 3:40pm. I look again a few minutes later and the eagle is gone. Is that it for the day???? Well, I can’t say that is has been a boring day.
I just may have to come out tomorrow morning for a while…since only one of the five eagles ate...and the rough-legged hawk didn’t either.