It cooled down into the 50’s overnight, so it was a sweatshirt kind of
morning. Not giving up my shorts but
adding a layer on top was necessary this morning. Since I didn’t do anything
strenuous today, I kept the sweatshirt on into the afternoon. When the
temperature got into the high 70’s, it was time to rethink my attire.
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I intended to go for a walk in the cool of the morning but sat outside at
the picnic table instead. First, I did
some needle felting, next I organized pictures to send to the grandkiddos and
then I read. I’d like to finish the book I’m reading before we start the
organizing and packing that needs to happen before hitting the road Tuesday
morning.
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Callie has been keeping us up to date on the situation in Charlevoix
with the ice, no power, fallen trees, etc.
Mostly seeing pictures of our yard…Yowsa!! The birch trees in the front
yard are sagging, the pine trees are leaning and Marshal warned me that my
‘picture tree’ will probably never be the same. Callie sent pictures of trees down
across Klooster Road and Black Road, with Black Rd currently being closed. And
I know from posts on Facebook and news updates that this extends to surrounding
communities also. Here’s hoping tree removal moves along and that power is
restored soon. Next up on the Charlevoix forecast, more wintry mix with some wind.
Mother Nature sure is throwing some spring curveballs, isn’t she? Marshal said
that we probably don’t need to be in a big hurry to get home.
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It
emptied that feeder, so I took it down to wash and pack away. All the other
feeders had longer hangers, so when I moved them around, I thought it would be
out of reach for the hanging upside down on the tree maneuver. It was not deterred.
It didn’t even bother with trying that again; it flew right to the feeder and
sat on the perch to eat. The feeder was
too high originally for it to fit on the perch and not bonk its head. I played
right into its plan.
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This year there have been no special events at the campground…no potluck
dinners, no craft nights, and no bingo.
Audra said that there was little to no participation, so they just
stopped doing them. I found the potlucks to be a little nerve-wracking because
I don’t use the camper oven enough to feel confident making food for other
people. But I found that Sloppy Joes made in the crock-pot and served on quality
buns were the ticket. I was already planning to go with that again this year, when
I heard the cancellation news.
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It occurred to me today that on this trip we experienced sub-zero
temperatures in Topeka, KS, in mid-February and have recently had a 100-degree
day here in Picacho. Not a fan of either extreme, but then Mother Nature never
asked for my opinion on the subject.
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I set a goal to finish three more gnomes before Tuesday…one female and
two males. Last year, I had visions of honing
my needle felting skills once I got home.
Yeah, that didn’t happen…sewing became my focus. So, I knew that once we
left here the chances of finishing the three gnomes for the Tennessee kids to
name were dismal. I had the two males completed as of yesterday and also various
parts of the lady gnome.
Working periodically throughout the day, I did manage to finish the third
one. I didn’t put hats on two of them, thinking
it would save time, but I was wrong about that. Took more time to figure out
how to make a balding gnome with bushy eyebrows than it would have taken to
make the hat. Same with the girl’s hair and arms.
Sent a picture to the Tennessee kiddos so they could name the gnomes…Grady came back with ‘Buggy’ and Ashlyn went with Helen Marie, and I’m still waiting for Cullen to give me a name for the old man with bushy eyebrows.
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Eagle Cam Update:
Big Bear Lake: The two eaglets
are growing like crazy! Looked to be about the size of a small chicken and too
big to fit into the nest cup. I watched as the eaglets were trying to press
into Jackie; certainly, they can’t fit under her, but they can snuggle up to
her to stay warm. Jackie seems to sleep
sitting up, with her head turned back into her feathers. Looks very uncomfortable but I suppose instinct
is driving them to do what they gotta do to keep those little ones safe.
Shenandoah Valley: All three
eaglets appear to be thriving. They’re much smaller than the California eaglets
but I believe they hatched 10 days to 2 weeks later. Bella and Scout feed them,
but I did see one today trying to rip food apart on its own. The eaglets are at a point where they can
navigate to the adults for feeding time but it’s a type of crawling using their
wings as hands to thrust forward.
Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagle pair at Big Bear Lake, have been together and nesting at the same nest since 2018, when Shadow replaced Jackie's previous mate. Bella and Scout, the bald eagle pair nesting in Shenandoah Valley, have been breeding together since Scout joined the nest in 2023, and Bella has been at the nest since 2019.
From what I can see, eagles pretty much all look alike. So, this is what
I want to know: How do people know it’s the same pair returning to each of the
nests? It’d be difficult to know one pair from another unless they’re banded.
But then how does an eagle get banded? I
asked Kim how one captures an eagle; he immediately said, “With a big net…then
throw a hood over ‘em.” You mean, like catching butterflies? How do you
sneak up on an eagle to get a net over it? I said that with the triple threat of size,
talons, and beaks a sleeping dart would be a safer way to avoid getting bit or
skewered. But a bird couldn’t be darted while flying because it would fall
helplessly to the ground, unable to use its wings. So, maybe not a tranquilizer dart.
We were both wrong. When eaglets are around 5 to 8 weeks old, biologists
carefully climb to the nest and remove each eaglet, one at a time, often using
a cloth duffel bag to lower them to the ground. Once it is secured, a
metal band is fitted to a leg and the eaglet is returned to the nest. How this
happens without getting attacked by the parent eagle is beyond me. It makes sense to me that being banded is the
only way to know that it’s definitely Jackie and Shadow who’ve been returning to
the Big Bear Lake nest and breeding for the past 6 years. Otherwise, the nest
could be inhabited by imposters.
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The
Dolphin Head data has been collected, and Kim is processing it as I type. The
sky has been very cooperative the last few nights and he’s gotten an hour or so
more data this time around than the last time.
And since he meticulously cleaned all the glass surfaces, he’s hoping
that the imperfection that was present in the first image will not be in this image.
I will have to get a report in the morning because I’m heading to bed.
