BALD EAGLES ARE PARENTS & A GLORIOUS DAY ON THE LITTLE TENNESSEE RIVER

click photos to enlarge

What a grand day!  I awakened without any pain in my leg.  The old back ached but no pain caused by nerve pinch.  I know it won't last because this anomaly has occurred before.  I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to be on the river.  I would ride down the Little Tennessee River and check on my eagle family.  The wind was blowing harder than I would have liked but, I didn't care.  I was going.  I felt great! NOTE:

The blog site has been enlarging the pictures to the degree they are becoming fuzzy.  I'm not sure what is happening.  I shall have to reduce enlargements more before posting to the site to combat this occurrence. 

You'll probably be tired of looking at bald eagles by the time you get through with this blog entry.  I love them and sometimes I overdo the photography.  Don't forget to click on the shots to enlarge.

Mom wasn't shy about showing off her baby.  They both sat up tall and casually looked all about.  Junior is a cute one.


.

Many of these shots are similar but, the opportunity to photograph a mom bald eagle with her young one only comes along once a year.

The experience to be so close to these magnificent birds is overwhelming.  They are elegant and grand and I'm so very happy to see the same pair of eagles still together after all these years.  There is so very much that can happen to separate them.

I was becoming alarmed though.  I only saw one baby.  There have been two survive from this nest over the past 4 years.  I held hopes that two would have made the transition from young to adult this year also.

He's a beautiful baby!

But wait.  What is this?  Another little head has popped up on the other side of mom.  I feel better now.  We have a brother and a sister.  Nice going mom!

Life is good!  THIS is worth anything to observe!  THIS is what it's all about.

The wind has blown the Gheenoe over in two feet of water.  Lucky for me I glanced down at the depth finder.  The wind is strong and it's rocking this boat like crazy.  I've got the camera set on 1/1300th of a second in hopes of avoiding fuzzy shots.  Below is a very proud and concerned mom.

Below is a favorite shot of mine.  Heck;  they all are my favorite.

Dad has just made his appearance and he is grand!

There aren't many words to say about this scene.  The pictures say it all.

I had to throw the shot above in.  He's a sweet kid!

You have to admit these are magnificent birds.

I think its time to wander on down stream and let the eagles in peace for awhile.  There may be an opportunity for a photograph on the way back up.  I was interested to see how the great blue heron rookery was doing.  I missed all the birthing last year at the rookery and was curious if the group of herons still used the island.  Speaking of herons;  here's one now:

They do have a dignified manner about them and they truly are graceful in flight.

The Little Tennessee never lets me down when it comes to wildlife.  There is always activity on these waters Summer and Winter but, Spring is when the activity is the most intense.

This canada goose has selected a really great spot to lay her eggs.  She built her nest of twigs and feathers back under an overhang on a rock cliff.  She will do well and be successful with her young tucked back in there.  She and her young will be also be hidden from the keenest eyes in the sky.

A cormorant is caught off guard by our passing.

Finally;  the heron rookery appears directly ahead.  I'm early.  The nests are being attended by the adults but no thin, snake like necks are protruding up out of the nests.  The babies are not born yet.  The colony appears to be healthy with a large group of nests.  I hope this trend continues.

There are a great many people here in Tennessee who still think, well, they always thought, that the great blue heron nests on the ground.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  As you see here, they nest in the very tops of the trees, exhibiting what seems to be a desire to be as far from the ground as possible.

I think it's time to head back upstream and zoom past the eagle nest and head for home.  The wind is really pushing the water hard and I hate to speed into the rough water.  It's not only hard on the boat but it's hard on me too.  What a day this is!

They appear to be prehistoric.  Ha;  they are prehistoric...

I took over 400 photographs today.  What you see here is just a sample of all the pictures.  I would bore you to death if I posted them all.  The eagle nest is coming up on the right.  I will shoot a couple shots from distance without stopping.

That's it for this great day.  It felt so good to feel the sun and wind on my face and to glide over the water and feel the occasional light spray of water on my hands.  Tomorrow I get a steroid shot in the back and I'm not looking forward to that.  This whole sciatic nerve problem gives me an entirely different view on life in general.  It's all about health.  Everything important revolves around health.  I hope you enjoyed this blog entry and thank you for allowing me to share my happiness with you. 

FOR DOUGLAS - MY GOLDEN BOY

Douglas is the light in my eyes.  A little slide show for him follows:  The music is a bit choppy at first but refines as the slides go on.  He's my boy!    Click on or copy/paste the following link:  Then click on the black square.

https://picasaweb.google.com/loucksgl61/MYGOLDENSON#5592428746824454226

A CARDINAL'S SORROW

click on pics to enlarge

I saw two birds on the country road as I was returning from town.  They were cardinals.  One was obviously hit by a car and dead.  As I carefully drove past I noticed what the other cardinal was doing.  I turned around and stopped the truck a short distance away from them.

The bright red male was standing beside his mate picking up her wing and dropping it.  He would run entirely around her stopping periodically to pick up her wing in his beak as if to hurry her off the road.  There was no traffic yet so I tried to figure out what I could do for them.

I was emotionally moved by the dedication of the male cardinal to his mate.  He would run entirely around her a couple times and stop to lift her wing.  A car passed by me and the male ran off the road only to return to his fallen mate and tried again to lift her wing and make her follow him. 

Of what help to him could I be?  The only thing I could think of was to move the little body off the road, which I did.  The red male flew to a nearby bush and watched as I lifted his mate and carried her to the grass in a field and set her down.  I returned to the truck.  He immediately flew to, and landed at her side.  I could see his head drop to hers and return to an upright position.  He was determined to make her move.  But, she never would again.  She was gone.

I saw cars approaching and had to drive away.  I was deeply moved by this demonstration of devotion by one wild bird for his fallen mate.  It is said that animals can't feel emotion and that they are moved by the hard wiring of evolution alone.  I don't think so.  They feel pain, happiness and joy and yes;  they feel loss and sadness.  Confusion is another word that may apply.  The male cardinal may have been confused as to why his mate would not follow.  I have seen this in other animals and I am convinced they feel sorrow.  It is a sad thing to observe.  It doesn't take a great effort to press the brake pedal slightly to let a bird pass by in front of your car safely.  Please have compassion for them and any creature near a roadway.

RELAXING AT THE OLD STATE PARK

click photos to enlarge

I like old buildings and I've admired this place for years.  It has, well, character.  I love it.  There are out buildings on the property that have even more character.  Check out this old, old house that is standing about a hundred yards from this, the "new" house. 

Is this place not sweet?  Old construction is marvelous.  Places are built entirely using real crafted materials, mostly wood.  The occasional metal roof can be found on an old structure but they are used mostly to replace the original wooden roofs that can no longer stand the stresses of age.

If this was my property, I'd sit on the front porch and just admire this old house you see here to the right and above.  To me it's beautiful.  Modern homes have pre-fab this and that and assemblies can be purchased to just bolt on for instant porches, supports, overhangs, shutters etc.  But, these old places display craftsmanship.  That's something that is becoming a lost virtue in these times.

The barn to the left sits far over to the right of the newer house.  It also is mostly original construction.  A patchwork of tin covers what undoubtedly was rotten wood from original construction.  Still, it is a great looking old barn.  What a great old property!

I'm feeling pretty good today.  The pain in my leg is a mild ache and I've decided to take the dogs out for a bit of exercise.  The temperature is about 70 degrees with a gusty wind blowing.  At times the gusts are strong but, that's alright.  It's sunny and the sky's are blue.  The dogs haven't been out since my sciatic nerve problem hit about three weeks ago and they are going stir crazy, as am I.

I threw the camera back pack into the truck and headed to the old state park with the dogs.  I doubted there would be many, if any, bird photo opportunities with all this wind but I'd have the camera with me if I did see something worth a picture.

I didn't want to walk too far as I didn't know how the leg and back would react to walking.  I went slow with short steps to be on the safe side.  My back was aching by the time I got to the old ruins foundation.  I decided to take a break and get the back pack off.  That camera with the 500mm lens is a heavy load and the bottom of the back pack was resting on the belt area of my back.  It didn't feel bad but, my back was becoming tired in that area and aching a bit.

It sure felt good to be out here in the sun and the breeze.  I couldn't live long if confined to indoors for whatever reason.  Above all I wanted to be on the water.  It draws me like a powerful magnet.  I love it.  For now, I'm enjoying this time out here with my dog friends.  They've found a mud hole to wallow in.  Great Scott!  I'll have to walk them down to the lake for a swim and a bath.  I didn't want to walk that far today but they are filthy----and happy.

Douglas is in his element.  His eyes are shining and I could swear I saw a smile on his immovable muzzle.










That's my sweet boy!

I met a nice couple at the ruins who were canoeists and we had a nice chat about historical areas we've all visited at one time or another.  I brought them up to date on the history of the ruins area and chatted in general about things we had in common.  It was a nice break in the afternoon visiting with them.  I hope to see them on the water sometime.

The wind is up and it's blowing the water into near white cap proportion.  I love to hear the wind howling through the trees and watching the water respond to it's force.  Douglas seems to enjoy swimming against the current created by the strong gusts. 

They are all happy kids when they are out here.  They will run happy laps to and from the water's edge shortly.

This is a delightful day for me.  It's the first relatively pain free day I've had in three weeks.  I don't want to over do the exercise.  The old back is aching now and I think it prudent to head for the truck.

It is to be near 80 degrees tomorrow and I'd dearly love to be on the boat at some point during the day.  The canoe is out for awhile.  I doubt I could handle it under the circumstances.  But the motor boat, Gheenoe, I think would work out fine, although the doctor said not to go out on the boat.  It's hard not being out there.  I have an appointment with the neurologist on Monday to find out what the procedure will be to correct this sciatic nerve ailment.  The MRI was completed two days ago.  So, that's all I can do.  This blog entry isn't very exciting but, its another good day in the outdoors and another memory I have to reflect upon as time passes by.   I have a suspicion that things will get a lot better quickly and I'll be back to my old self before long.  Thanks for looking in and stay safe and above all, healthy...

APRIL FOOLS DAY & I MISS MY EAGLES

It's a chilly day at the old state park and I can't seem to stay comfortably warm.   The past three weeks have been an ordeal for me trying to deal with this sciatic nerve situation.  Numerous visits to the chiropractor have not produced the desired results and the pain has increased to the point I can't lay down on either the bed or the floor.

This has driven me to the medical doctor and the order for an MRI.  The first MRI visit was a lost effort as I couldn't lay down upon the MRI table due to  the intense pain.  A visit to my MD and some super pain medications resulted in a successful MRI scan the following day.  I'll have to wait until Monday to see the neurologist.  So, that's the update on me.  I posted this because I have been receiving well wishes emails from a lot of folks who read this blog.  I appreciate each and every one.  Thank you so much for the concern.

I have been sleeping in a chair for the past two weeks so, my energy level is down a bit due to lack of sleep.  I am trying to keep active and stay in touch with the outdoor activities and critters I love so much.  It is a bit of a chore.  My dogs are going crazy confined to the premises and I have to get them out.  I will take them  today  for a short outing.

My real disappointment is that I am missing all the bald eagle activity down on the river.  The eagles have been sitting on eggs and I wouldn't doubt they are hatched by now.  I can hardly stand not being there and photographing the comings and goings of the adults.  If I can make these legs move with a little less pain;  I'll launch the Gheenoe on a "quiet, calm water day" and take a float down by their nesting tree.  I have to be careful because if I should for some reason fall into the water;  I doubt I would be able to swing my right leg up and over the side of the boat to re-enter.  Stepping off the dock onto the boat should be no problem.  Exiting wouldn't be an issue either as long as the water was calm.  I'll think about it.

 I sure miss them.  But, I have these memories you see here.