Life-changing event: Bald Eagle Courtship

I wanted to post this immediately after it happened, but I simply ran out of time. Fortunately I told the story to a dozen good friends who listened intently. After repeating it, I know the story perfectly and have no problem typing it all out here... please excuse me for not sharing this sooner!

I drove to Camano Island, about an hour south of Bellingham, to a nature preserve called English Boom. En route, a Red-tailed Hawk flew 20 feet over my car as I drove down the I-5 corridor, just south of Bellingham, right after I got on the freeway. I thought that was going to be the highlight of my day. Boy was I mistaken.

This was the second outing planned for a group of kindergartners at Summit Academy to teach and learn about Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles. Two weeks prior, we had talked about habitat and requirements for animals to live and thrive in a place. This second day was to focus on the two birds and to see how they might interact with each other or not.

I was toying in the trunk of my car pondering what on earth I was going to facilitate for these young children. I heard some Bald Eagles calling and they flew towards the water; I didn't think much of it. About a minute later, while I was still organizing my car, I heard the Bald Eagles call again, chirping and flying close, and I turned and looked.

The two adults (both with white heads) were flying no higher than 50 feet above the ground and they got within about 25 feet of my car and where I was standing. Suddenly, the bottom eagle flipped upside down and the top eagle grasped talons with the bottom one...

And this is what it looked like:

credit: http://wildmintproductions.com/2012/05/the-dalliance-of-the-eagles/

The eagles spiraled down for about four seconds... it was a majestic dance, they courted in a perfect spiral as they fell to 40, 30, 20 feet above the ground. With enough time before hitting the field, they released and caught air to double back around for another pass over.

The top eagle this time, obviously the male (because of the following behavior) had been carrying a fish in its other talon! I discovered this because it dropped the fish mid air. The female, who was flying underneath, gathered momentum in a brief second and swooped under the male to catch the fish mid air!

This is called a "prey transfer" and I knew it was a common courting behavior between Peregrine Falcons, as Bud Anderson (Falcon Research Group) once taught me. But I saw it for myself... in Bald Eagle courtship!

The birds flew north together, following the road and banked around a stand of tall Douglas Fir trees. As they rounded the grove and out of sight, the first carload of small people approached and our two-hour field excursion was about to begin. Not knowing how to respond, I simply dropped to a knee and thanked the earth for providing me with such an opportunity.

I now share this story with whoever reads it. The natural world is full of incredible events and miracles but these are also ordinary events in the lives of the creatures that demonstrate these behaviors. What makes them astounding is our ability to slow down and make the time for observation.

The prey transfer is a final step in solidifying the relationship for the breeding pair and I suppose the next step for these two birds is to start a nest. It is that time of year, after all! And during the rest of our time at English Boom, we heard those raptor chirping and carrying on, in their "new-love" kind of way that we humans know all so well.

To date, this is one of the single most incredible events I have witnessed. I am so thankful for those two Bald Eagles and for all Bald Eagles... they led me to the Pacific Northwest and still guide my life. When I am lost or confused, these raptors remind me of my place (on the ground) on this earth.

First Hummingbird of the season!

Today, I saw my first hummingbird. Not sure about the species but as far as Bellingham goes, this is the first one I have seen this spring... and this must mean it is spring.

I was feeling the pussywillows that have been opening for two weeks now. I really like the fuzzy buds and the fuzzy shells that seemingly fall into my hand. Then I heard a buzz, I looked up, and lo and behold, a green hummingbird. Perhaps an Anna's. Most likely a Rufous. It usually is.

So many small but enjoyable occasions to celebrate at my sit spot. I shared the hummingbird experience that happened on my walk home from my sit spot. Also notable on the walk home was one moment I stopped and waited.  A mentor once mentioned how it is important to stop. Scan 360 degrees from the ground to the sky and see what you see. I did. It got very quiet. The Song Sparrow that had just let me watch it from 15 feet for a couple minutes also stopped its rustling in the underbrush. So did the Western Towhee.

I heard my friend the Woodpecker thumping away somewhere very close to me. Staring into the sun made it difficult, and I couldn't see from where the thunderous drumming was occurring. Then i saw a Bald Eagle high in the sky. Then another came and circled around the other as they kettled upwards and onwards in the mid-day thermals...

When we stand still, we can be witness to multi-layer living, beauty, and play. There is so much amazingness in the world. For one minute I forced myself to stop and stay put, BREAKING MY OWN HABITS, and pushed myself beyond my schedule (and hope to get home to type this up before going away for the weekend.)

From the ground to the shrubs to the trees to the sky. There is so much life and I am responsible to ensure that it goes on, in perpetuity. I have to dedicate part of my schedule to stewarding the world and to enjoying its rich bounty. Not "resources" to use, but as a way to reintegrate myself into the natural fabric that exists.

At my spot: The Pacific Wren got within THREE feet of me and I watched it eating on the moss on a stump. Then it fluttered off. I was so still for those thirty seconds. Then I explored the moss on which it had paused. And I used my hand-lens. There was a small pink arachnid crawling about the underside of the bryophyte. I didn't correctly identify the green plant as a moss or a liverwort, but in hindsight, it seemed very liverworty!

Considering we studied them yesterday in lichens and moss class, I should have known more. But those tiny worlds are hard! I have more work to do in studying them.

The some Stellar's Jays were calling like Robins... Boy, are they good with their voices!

Gotta love when the sun comes out in February. Wishing you a nice President's Day weekend and Happy Spring... It really IS coming soon.

Raptor Census (from February 9th)

I woke up before dawn to meet a bunch of folks after dawn about an hour south of here. I participated in the annual Raptor Census, during which regular people with some interest in birds meet and count what species they see. Truth be told it is organized by region and team leaders are not slouches; some of these folks are leading biologists and raptor researchers. But I am just a thirty-something with a bird addiction... specifically a raptor one!

I worked with Gerry and we walked around the Port Susan Bay reserve looking for raptors. We counted a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), dozens of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), some Northern Harriers aka Marsh Hawks (Circus cyaneas), a female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). We heard a tremendous commotion from a nearby flock of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) too. Some Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) also made a cameo during our two-hour excursion.

We reported the data to the team leader and we all high-tailed (:)) it to Padilla Bay for a discussion about birds with beak deformities. Mostly this involves a disorder in which birds' beaks grow (like a cancer, really) and eventually prevent the bird from using its beak for anything. They can't eat or function properly because their beaks are inefficient and of course this leads to mortality.

Caroline Van Hemert spoke to us for a while about her work with Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska who suffer from this problem. Research didn't quite have any concrete conclusions but I will make a personal venture to say that perhaps cellular radiation or other environmental pollution is the culprit... HUMAN-created, so I must take some personal responsibility in contributing to the cause even though I do not yet know how. More info here!

It seems to me like a "beak cancer" as they simply grow out of control... I wonder if there is a gene in birds that tells the beak when to stop growing. All cancer research is related to humans, but perhaps there is work to be done with birds too.... maybe we can learn something from our flying friends.

It was nice to get out in the tidal flats early in the morning and contribute to a 23+ year project. I got to see my friend who is in charge of the whole program. You can find out more information about the Falcon Research Group here!