birdbrain

Posted by derrick on May 4, 2008

The day went haywire.  Of course the plan was to get out and paddle. I’d been quite looking forward to it.  The local lake is flooding and for the first time in quite a few years I’ll get a chance to paddle on the road! (Something I hope to get at today.)  So when it didn’t work out yesterday I was sort bumming and sitting out by the dining room window when Mary noticed something big landing out in the pasture across the road. We see turkey vultures there regularly so it was quite a surprise to see 3 Bald Eagles instead!  2 adults and one yearling.  When you see nature from the cockpit of a kayak it somehow feels much different. In a sense it’s like living in a nature film, yet at the same time it seems somehow "correct".  When these amazing creatures decide to stop by the house, it’s oddly surreal. (More pictures after the jump)

This is as close as I could get with my little 300mm lens. I stood back quite some distance as to not disturb them. The adult’s distinctive white heads stand out from quite a distance. The younger eagle still sported the brown and white patchwork of youth. Seeing these guys is pretty exciting.  Bald eagle numbers in the lower 48 had been dwindling for years. Only recently have they begun once again to expand their range out from the various last stands around the country. One of those being just south of here. (read more about Bald Eagles in Wisconsin) We now have a nesting pair at the local lake and obviously a few curious explorers checking out the rest of the area as well. What’s truly fantastic is that  the eagles are just the latest in a list of big birds that seem to be re-discovering our little part of the world. it was only a few years ago when Sandhill cranes began again to spend their summers here.  Each morning we awake their their boisterous calls. It was not so long ago when seeing a crane was something you did by visiting the International Crane Foundation located here in Baraboo. Not by just looking up! These days they’re everywhere!

In addition other big birds have also seemed to have come out of nowhere.  We now have loons at the lake and over the last 2 years cormorants have been showing up as well. It’s been about 3 years now since Osprey’s have become local residents. Osprey’s are listed as "threatened" in the state. Earlier in the week we enjoyed hanging out at the lake and watching the Osprey fish from the high cliffs.  They shoot out over the water to do a reconnaissance run, and if they see something they will dive with amazing speed and expload into the water.  Osprey are not afraid to dive right in after a fish.  Then after a split second of calm, they blast back out of the water and to take off once more into the sky.  I’ve noticed these guys are pretty shy.  On a quiet day you’ll see them out and about.  If the park is busy, the are no where to be found.

I’m not sure if it’s real or just an impression, but it seems I remember a time when Canada Geese migrated.  They would stop by Wisconsin on their way somewhere north in the spring or south in the autumn.  These days you’ll find them here year around.  The pair in the picture held let me get quite close before finally deciding to head off a bit.  As soon as I passed by they returned to their dry log and cursed me for disturbing their day.

All this bird life really stands out if you’ve been here long enough to remember when the skies were empty. It shows that since those environmentally bleak days of the 70s we must be doing something right. On the other hand, you see all the folks moving into the area fighting for their rights to seemingly undo the good that has been done.  That’s the problem with nature.  Everyone wants a peice of it.  And many will slash and burn that very land to put their feet or their house upon it. Never realizing they are destroying exactly what they came here for.