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Leap of Faith

July 25, 2014 by Denise Brake Leave a Comment

We checked in at Eagle Park to see if the young eaglets had ‘fledged’ or flown from the nest. At the beginning of last week, we went on a cool, windy day. The two eaglets were hunkered down in the nest with only their heads showing, and that’s where they stayed the entire time we were there. We didn’t see either of the parents.

So we wandered around the park trail looking at wildflowers, grasses, and rocks. One of my favorite wildflowers is the delicate Daisy fleabane. This common, understated member of the Sunflower family is so named because of its use to repel fleas. I wonder if the eagles use it in their nest.

I love the ‘potential’ in a flower bud. The following photo is the bud of a Turk’s-cap lily. The petals unfold and curve back to showcase the extended stamens and showy anthers. Isn’t it amazing that the bud contains all of that!

The Butterfly weed was still looking spectacular, also.

We returned to the park last evening. The Goldfinches were flying from the bare branches of a crabapple tree to the large sweeps of thistles that were going to seed.

And who was in the nest this time?

We found only one eaglet in the nest. He stayed there for most of the time we hiked around the trail.

I like this pink granite boulder and the tuft of wildflowers and grasses that are growing on the top of it.

We saw a Red-tailed hawk scanning the ground for glimpses of movement that might mean a tasty meal.

The goldenrod was blooming–is it trying to move us out of summer already?!

As we were talking about the flowers, I saw the young eagle jump out of the nest onto a branch.

And then he lifted his wings, and with a leap of faith he flew away! Just like that!

Not only is the goldenrod pointing us towards fall, but the eagles are also. They will all occupy the nest for a number of weeks more as the young eagles learn about hunting. The parents will continue to bring food back to the nest as the fledglings practice their hunting skills. Then they will begin their solitary life of four or five years to mature and change color before picking out a mate.

The Spring egg holding the potential young eagle. The lily bud holding the glorious Turk’s-cap flower. The flowering thistles holding hundreds of the favored seeds for the Goldfinches. Let’s all take our innate potential and fly!

Eagles Among the Granite and Wildflowers

July 8, 2014 by Denise Brake 3 Comments

We live in granite country. Quarries–some old and some still productive–are everywhere, and there are a number of granite warehouses within miles of our place. Commercial buildings are sheathed in granite of different hues. Our garden walls and steps are granite, and everywhere a person may want to dig, there will be granite. Eagle Park is strewn with granite boulders called core stones that have surfaced from the granite bedrock. The igneous rock in this area is made up of clear to gray quartz, black mica, with pink and white feldspar crystals and is called Rockville Granite. I’ll walk you around the park of granite boulders, eagles and wildflowers.

The milkweed was abundant, and each ball of buds or blooms was a shade of candy-confection pink. No wonder the monarch butterflies love this plant!

While I was looking at flowers, Chris spotted an eagle in the tree ahead of us. It is hard to differentiate the male and female bald eagle, especially when they are not side by side. The female is larger and has a deeper beak. The male generally has a sleeker head, so by comparing the pictures from the last post, I would say this is father eagle! He flew from this perch overlooking the floodplain back to the nest in the gnarled hackberry tree in the center of the park.

The path circles the park, skirting the immense granite boulders and winding past giant oak trees.

Thistles have encroached upon the park from an adjacent untended pasture, living side by side with the prairie grasses and wildflowers. The prolific seeders take over more ground year after year.

A trio of fuzzy-leaved mullein stands poised, ready to bloom.

Meadow rue and prairie phlox adorn the granite.

Leadplant and butterfly weed brighten the landscape.

Blue vervain and purple coneflower have prominent seed heads, insuring the propagation of their kind for another year.

And a lovely young oak puts on its yearly coat of new growth.

The granite has been in this place for eons. This pair of eagles has been here for ten years now. They have adapted to the circling of curious spectators as they raise their eaglets in their home high above the grasses, thistles, and wildflowers. We all take our place in the history of the eons, adapting to the changes that come our way. We learn from the hard times and the thorny issues that invade the beauty of our lives. We need to feed upon the candy-confection beauty of the world and let the seeds of that beauty–love, compassion, kindness, faith and hope–spread beyond our own selves. We need to view the world from that high home in the sky.

Land of the Free

July 4, 2014 by Denise Brake 5 Comments

Besides our bright, waving, stars and stripes flag, what best symbolizes America–the land of the free and the home of the brave? Yep, the Bald Eagle–our National Bird! Two evenings ago, we went to visit Eagle Park–the home of a pair of these great birds–not far from our house. It was our first outing there for the season. The nearby Sauk River was out of its banks with all the rain that had fallen in the month of June. The prairie surrounding the eagle tree was lush and blooming.

I had another borrowed camera with more powerful zoom (thank you, Aaron), a tripod, a gracious helper (thank you, Chris), and a beautiful evening. (We did, however, forget the mosquito repellant.) When I focused in on the nest, I was surprised to see the two fledglings, nearly as large as a mature eagle! And what a nest! Eagles usually return to the same nest each year, repairing and adding to it. Most are around five feet in diameter, while some get up to eight feet across and are estimated to weigh almost two tons.

Now using the term fledgling would imply that the eaglets have ‘fledged’ or left the nest. I don’t think these two have done that yet, though they must be close to the 11-13 weeks when that normally occurs. One eaglet stayed in the nest while the other perched on a branch, flapped his wings, and hopped from one side of the nest to the other. He looks like he is ready to fly!

Eagle chicks grow very rapidly and are almost adult size by six weeks old. By eight weeks, their parents are hunting almost continuously to feed them. This fledgling looked like he was waiting for one of his parents to return with a meal.

But look at how sharp his beak is! Once he has fledged from the nest, he will learn to hunt as the parents still provide food. It will take 4-5 years for the eaglets to mature. Gradually their head and tail feathers turn white while their eyes and beaks turn yellow. Eagles mate for life, and both parents can incubate the eggs, though most often the female stays on the nest, and the male hunts for food for her. After the chicks hatch, one parent stays on the nest or close by.

The sun was getting lower to the horizon but shone on the top of the tree where the young eagles were patiently waiting for the return of their parents.

Then as we were walking back, we heard the fledglings start to vocalize–and there was mother eagle! She came back empty-clawed–no food from this round of hunting.

The eaglet that had been in the nest and quiet the whole time was very excited to see the mother eagle!

Even after that wonderful display, the mother eagle didn’t pay much attention to the young ones.

With the sun going down, we left the eagles and their extraordinary habitat. I was so happy I saw the three of them and was hoping the father eagle had better luck with his evening hunt.

What a symbol of Freedom! We often look at freedom in the context of purely external forces on our lives, but I contend that a majority of the battles that individual Americans face actually come from within. Be proud and celebrate our country’s Independence today, but be brave and give some thought to what it is that is holding you back, what it would take to make your spirit soar!

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