37 ~ A truce, traces, and signs of spring
Late winter is a time of truce. When I explore the woods now, I am no longer searching for deer, and they have no reason to fear me (even if they don’t know it). Nor are deer pursuing my gardens. In the deep snow I walk, ski or snowshoe in their tracks, and they in turn find ease by stepping in mine. It’s the one time of year when we help each other – another of the many gentle gifts and faces of winter.
Speaking of assistance, the bald eagle my housemate Jeff and I tried to help a few weeks ago was in fact the second eagle I’ve found near the house that needed assistance. The first encounter brought a happier and more comical ending. A few years ago a young couple, Mitch and Shelby, shared the house with me. One morning in July, while I was in the garden, Shelby returned shortly after leaving for work to report a very large bird on the county road near the house. I jumped in her car, we returned to the spot, and this is what we found:
It was a juvenile bald eagle from the local nest (the only young raised in the nest that year), almost but not quite ready to fly. Late the night before one of those intense, 20 minute windstorms had whipped through, and I suspect that junior got blown from the nest, a few days earlier than he was ready.
His parents would continue to feed him on the ground, but even if we herded him off the road, he would be highly vulnerable to coyotes. For safety he needed some altitude. So I chased him down – he (or she?) could nearly get airborne, skimmed along the top of the meadow, flapping clumsily, but quickly tired and plopped into the dew-wet grass, where I got hold of him.
Now what? The eaglet’s best chance in this case lay with continued care and guidance from his parents, not a rehabilitation center (something on which rehab centers agree for bird fledglings generally). So I looked around, and found the highest sturdy snag I could reach. I managed to get the eaglet up there, and he hung on and settled in.
In fact, he didn’t budge for three days and nights! Clutching the snag, he endured the hot mid-day sun and the gnats, probably figuring anything was better than his previous attempt at flight. But it ended well; he eventually ventured from his perch, and for the next several weeks I watched him as he learned and earned his wings – a successful fledge.
During the eaglet’s few days marooned on the snag, he also endured intermittent harassment from red-winged blackbirds nesting nearby, and my neighbor Jerry caught this marvelous image:
Behold the eagle, King of Birds. I’d love to know what caption Gary Larson of “The Far Side” could pin to this photo… Absent the services of Mr. Larson, let’s see what we can conjure: Announcing the first “Bird in the Bush Caption Contest”. Let’s have some fun - please put your best caption ideas for the photo in the Comments section below.
This week one of my local newspapers, the Mount Horeb Mail, published more about the doomed adult eagle Jeff and I recently found, and the larger issue of lead traces in wildlife. You can read the article by Matt Geiger here. Perhaps this is a problem for which we can somehow find a truce and a solution.
As February continues (it’s a rather long month, given that it’s the shortest), courage mes amis: As I filled the bird feeders early this morning in the biting cold of 12 degrees below zero (-24C), the shining face of Grandfather Sun rose through the oak woods and inspired the cheery courtship whistle of a chickadee. This is the first time I’ve heard it this year - a sure sign of the approach of spring, even if she is tiptoeing rather coyly through the cold and snow!
What I’m watching now and can recommend:
This week, in front of the fireplace natch, I watched for the 4th or 5th time one of my favorite movies, “Arrival” (directed by Denis Villeneuve, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, and starring Amy Adams in a sublime performance). Although the film probably wasn’t intended this way, one thing I see in it is a reflection of and commentary on the response of Europeans to the unfamiliar indigenous cultures they encountered in North America (an unfortunately myopic response that was ultimately harmful to both parties). It’s a wonderfully done and ultimately hopeful film, well worth a watch and a ponder.