Eagle Nest, Des Moines River, 2013.

I took this shot as we floated by the nest.  I swear this eagle is making eye contact with my camera.

We passed several eagle nests on the Des Moines river.  The sheer size of each nest is incredible...they're like a Volkswagen beetles parked on tree tops.  Each nest had a pair of eagles.  One eagle sat on the nest and one played sentry.  The sentry took their job seriously.  As we approached each nest, from a safe distance, the giant bird would fly off his/her branch and fly in circles above our heads until we were no longer "threat worthy".  I swear that the eagle made eye contact with me.  It was very intense.

Birding.

A tree full of bald eagles.
Trumpeter Swans!? Well, I'm pretty sure these big white birds are trumpeter swans. I saw them floating in the Des Moines River last Saturday and they peaked my interest. I've only seen swans in ponds, never in a river. I did some research and read that the Midwest is working on restoration projects to reintroduce these FORTY POUND birds back into the ecosystem. Looks like it may be working.

why, hello. you're an eagle.

It was a bright, blue, crisp day. Buzzards, Herons, Kingfishers, and Cormorants were ubiquitous but not easy to photograph. My bad luck was beginning to frustrate me until we spotted a giant eagle nest deep/high in the timber. Sadly...it was too deep in the timber to get a good shot. I was about to put my camera away when I heard an ear piercing shriek. The eagle in charge of the nest decided to make her presence known. She did not want us near the nest. I've never seen a bird make such intense eye contact with humans before. She was flapping, shaking her head around, and vocalizing her distaste for us. I snapped a couple shots, apologized to the bird for disturbing her peace, and we got the hell out of there.

eagle scout.

1. When I saw this handsome bird I pulled over and was delighted to see a lot of eagle activity by the Des Moines River.

2. some nice in flight action.

3. A little blurry but fuckin' majestic.

4. An immature bald eagle (in back) and an adult eagle stand on chunks of ice. I feel like there should be penguins...although there was a pelican swimming around.

barely awake for this one.

drippyfoodpile.

eagle mom and three babies.

1. she was watching us the whole time we were near the three babies.

2. I drew this after we got to camp.

3. Three babies looking at their mom. We're looking at the babies. Mom is looking at us.

bald eagle. Dead Dog. a poem.

I never knew nothing bout' neither of you
one trotting
and sniffing
just looking for food.


Then headlights and screeching.
A loud Ka-Pow.
Then you, old black dog,
you became the dog chow.


I don't know too much bout' our proud nation's symbol
that flies through the skies and rests by the river.
I imagined them diving and catching their prey
then flapping
and flapping
before flying away.


I drove many miles before I seen what is real
Nature is cruel and a dog is a meal.


A sharp yellow beak on a big ol' white head
He stood on top of that dog, with his feathers gone red.
Just chomping
and munching
and picking away
I learned something new about eagles that day.


But I haven't gone soft, eagles still have appeal.
Roadkill for some, for others a meal.

eagles.

I grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park did not have bald eagles. Oak Park mostly had robins, cardinals and tiny brown birds. Occasionally a kid from school would report having heard an owl. A crow said “Hello” to me at the Trailside Museum during a field trip; I didn’t know crows could talk at the time. When I was ten, running barefoot on Humphrey Street, I stepped on a pink baby bird. I liked birds a lot. Birds were cool.

I still like birds. I still think birds are cool. Cardinals are my favorite and always have been. A pink winged cardinal lives in our glorious backyard. I like to identify the other backyard birds with Peterson field guides. Quick list of the yard birds: goldfinches, blue jays, tufted titmouse (tufted titmice?), pheasant, downy woodpeckers, turkey vultures, and regular gobble turkeys, red tail hawks, red winged black birds, and red bellied woodpeckers.

I didn’t see a bald eagle until mid December or late November in 2009. A bald eagle flew above my car on a drive to Muscatine, Iowa. Now, I see them all the time. Seth saw two of them eating a deer corpse in the field yesterday. I saw a bald eagle on my drive to town today. The eagle was eating possum road kill. I managed to snap a shot of the eagle after it flew away from his lunch and into a cornfield, that bird probably smelled terrible.

I got another pretty good photo of a bald eagle today. I snapped the shot by the Pig slaughtering plant. That was where I saw a big, black, lump in a cluster of trees. I pulled over and walked through mud and dog poop to investigate the big, black, lump. It was, as I suspected, a bald eagle. He looked at me for about twenty seconds before I took out my camera so I could violate his privacy. Of course, the eagle called me a tourist and flew across the river to avoid me.

I’m sure I’ll see more bald eagles this winter. They are truly an awesome bird; carrion eating, scavengers with yellow feet and beaks.