American Family Values

American Bald Eagles with at least 1 Eaglet!



This is Mom! (Click on photos to enlarge!)




Discovered the chick yesterday! And so exciting to see the general population of eagles comeback and are thriving locally! This is the second year for this nesting site! Woohoo!









This is Dad!

Bald Eagle Building Nest

Bald Eagle building nest, originally uploaded by peghan01.

After taking a drive just to check for activity at the nesting site of the bald eagles from last spring, I was thrilled to discover the pair working on the nest! How exciting is that? Last year, I didn't know about it happening until May, but this time I have a huge head start!

If you see that this post looks alittle different, well it is...I started using Flickr to upload, as the quality from Blogger just wasn't cutting it... The only problem now, is figuring out how to upload multiple images...

Fish Fight!

Another highlight of the weekend, I went to Starved Rock to shoot some more eagles. Well, I have plenty of eagle shots to post about in the coming days, but a highlight was when I focused on this seagull. It was in the lock part of the lock and dam. A barge had just passed through the lock, leaving large chunks of ice in it's wake. The seagull was focused on something...



I didn't know what he was looking at until...








...he caught a fish. Wow, I thought it was a great catch, but isn't it just a tad too big? As I think this thought all mayhem breaks loose.









A little discussion about property ensues...








Then another fair weather friend shows up...








He gives the new guy the "what's what"...










and the "who's who"...










and the "get the 'BLEEP' outta here!"










and then things get ugly, as the intruder turns around after getting cussed at and lets him have the "what's what"!










...and the "who's who"...










and "GETOUTTAHERE!"













Well, the next part of the story is blurry but I will try to recreate it:

The seagull left without the fish.

I wondered why?

I focused on some other seagulls.

Then something caught my eye.

Unbelievable!

Why didn't I see him coming?

Why didn't I look up for just a second earlier?

An eagle came in the lock and swooped (missed) for the fish on the ice.

It was just a few yards away.

I didn't see him until he was in front of me.



I reacted as quickly as I could.



The background is the lock wall.



He is flying below me.



Another notch for the "I can't believe I missed it" shots tally.



Oh well, I like to believe that my luck was spent on finding the snowy. (Which didn't happen until a few hours later.)

It's Almost that Time of Year for Bald Eagles!

Not a whole lot was happening on Saturday morning, with the weather laying heavy under rainy/cloudy skies. I did my usual route, and was surprised to see a few Bald Eagles at the dam, scanning the horizon and passing the time. I do see them from time to time throughout the year, but its a pretty rare sight. There are a few residents scattered around the counties, as American Bald Eagles have been taken off the endangered list, just last year. It's awesome to see them populating back into Illinois!



The best time of year for eagles in Illinois, is in the winter when it is cold enough to freeze the rivers over (Jan./Feb.). Just find a dam where the water is still open, and you can bet there will be eagles looking for food. Starved Rock State Park is a famous site for attracting Eagles. One of the parks greatest features in the winter months, is the coastline along the Illinois River at the lock and dam. Two years ago I went during a particularly cold winter, and counted 104 eagles in just one single tree!

Agent Orange

I can never say that this is a good photo.
I CAN say that I like this photo.

It was my usual foggy morning at Goose Lake, and as I am trying to capitalize on the mood, shooting spiderwebs and frosty grasses, I see this distant raptor activating his landing gear into some unsuspecting meal. Without time to adjust settings, I snap away, frame after frame, then check the display... Orange. Oh well.

After processing, I choose the frame with the most action, and decide (upon closer inspection) that this raptor is actually a Bald Eagle. Cool. We don't see much of them around here at all... at least not until winter arrives and settles in.

Yet another rare siting at Goose Lake...I'm beginning to love this place...

Off The List!

American Bald Eagles; Our National Symbol of Freedom...These majestic rapters have made an amazing come-back! They are being taken off the Endangered Species list this week, and are now under the Protected list. In the 1960's they were nearing extinction, as DDT was a common pesticide for farming, which became a major factor in the eagles decline. Their numbers reached so low that our Icon of Freedom could and would slip away forever if our government didn't react. Bald Eagles were placed on the Endangered List, thus protecting the species from harm, along with banning the use of DDT as a pesticide. Since then, and over 40 years later, the breeding pairs have reached nearly 10,000 across the U.S. compared to just 200 pairs in 1963. Although they are no longer endangered, they are still on the Protected List which makes it illegal to kill the bird.

In my own neck of the woods, there is a pair just a few miles away, who have successfully bred an eaglet this year. The nest is out of camera range for a decent shot, but I did catch some action when one flew into the cornfield, looking for food this past winter. I was parked across the road from the field, and the eagle soared right over me. It also swooped down next to some geese, who seemed to huddle close for protection, but the rapter was only after some nesting material such as corn husks for their giant nest in a nearby tree.

Our National Symbol

I took these photos at Starved Rock in February this year (2007). I was lucky enuff to get to the parking lot early, and an eagle was in a tree right above me, which is a rare treat. There were so many great photo op's. that came out of that day, because the eagle count was up to 112. (an all time high). Eagles find open water during winter months for food, so they were feeding at the locks in a frenzy and the action was hot. There is a tree on the northwest end of the locks that the eagles perch in when not soaring, that held 81 eagles for this shot. I spent many hours of many days in the blustery single digits of temperature, but what is nice about shooting at the Army Corps. of Engineers, (which is directly across from Starved Rock) is that they have a Visitors Center for which you can go in to warm up. And...the background for all my shots is "Lovers Leap" which is a rock formation that adds for a great backdrop. They also give eagle watch tours from late Jan. thru Feb. For Illinois Eagles, Starved Rock State Park in Utica is definately the place to visit.