YES - STILL HERE

Its only been a couple days that I haven't posted anything and folks are wondering if I'm OK or not.  I appreciate the thoughts and thanks for them.  Everything is fine and life is good.  Its just that I've been on the lower end of Douglas Lake this past week, including today, and there isn't anything at all wildlife going on.  There is a lot of pleasure boat traffic that I detest and avoid at all costs.  It was a reach to find anything to post here today but I thought I'd give it a try.

I noticed all these holes in the yard and wondered what was making them.  I have seen crayfish do so but they leave a pile of extracted dirt around the hole and the soil is usually very wet.  I've seen three holes like the above one with toads backed down inside.  Look closely and you can see him.  Just interesting.

I took a ride past the eagle nest I've been watching and there was one immature standing on a limb of the nest tree.

The babies are fine and I've seen both of them flying up and down the river not far from their nest. Only one adult was seen far, far up on the mountain side across the river.  Soon the youngsters will find their way to new homes along the river or on the reservoir while the adults remain in their old territory.  The adults will use the nest again next year as they've done for the previous 7 years, unless the property is compromised. 

I saw the saddest thing yesterday.  Two vultures were standing beside something black on the ground and a cow ran toward them with her head down and flushed them away.  The cow stood over what was obviously her calf.

The calf was born dead and she was protecting it from harm.  She wouldn't give up.  I came back three hours later and she was still shooing away the vultures.  And as I watched, she sort of started to walk away.  It was a slow walk and she was reluctant to leave.

 She turned and almost returned to her dead calf.

 

I think she saw the uselessness in it all and finally walked away from her dead calf.

And the vultures got their way, as they always do in the end.

The last pictures I will put up here are of the eagle hacking tower on Douglas Lake.  Whey the term Hacking tower I don't know.  I was back in the cove yesterday where the tower is and I noticed something that didn't seem right up on the tower.

 A closer look at the end cage indicated movement in side.

 Sure enough there is an immature bald eagle inside.  Looks like our friends at American Eagle Foundation are getting ready to release another youngster on Douglas Lake.  

Now, that's exciting!  I'd sure like to have the boat sitting in that cove right in front of the tower when they release that bird.  Those would be some pictures.