BALD EAGLES of Columbia Basin - Season I

Columbia River meanders towards the border between Canada and  the USA.

I owe this entry to my photographer friend Nel Vandergaag, for it was she, who introduced me to an amazing North American couple:
a breeding pair of  Bald Eagles, Haliaeetus leucocephalus.

That first meeting happened  two seasons ago on the steep banks of Columbia River.

Nel and our friend Flat Lucas (an elementary school project), looking at the eagle's nest down below.

The eagles mate for life and though they go their own way in the latter part of a year, they renew their bond the following Spring to carry on and raise their offspring.
Some seasons are successful some not. This, the season when we met, was a happy one.

Our first visit happened at the end of May and the eagles were already busy feeding their rapidly growing offspring. Thanks to their choice of venue and thanks to the far-reaching technology we were able to visit without disturbing the them, record a bit and learn a lot. June was their busiest time, with the eaglets  practicing their skills. Just like people, they were different in their behaviors and overall effort. One exercised non-stop, one liked to eat more than the others and practice less and the third one preferred to sleep and sleep and sleep.

We could not resist naming them: they became Flapper and Chomper and Sleeper. Not that they cared a bit.

It takes about three months for the eaglets to learn to fly and leave the nest.

Bald eagles raise sometimes one, usually two, sometimes three and rarely four offspring.
Three is a handful and it was a busy time for the parents to feed their trio Where and how did they find or catch the huge fish in this fast flowing river, we wondered. Or did they? Perhaps they robbed an osprey in mid-air or maybe they spotted a wounded or dying fish in the shallows - bald eagles will notice a glitter of a fish two kilometers away.
On some visits we noticed a yellow marmot or another larger rodent on the menu.
I also remembered seeing  the pair successfully ambush and catch a feeding duck. It was a long process because each time the eagles got close, their prey would dive under water. The hunt took the birds long way from the shore, and finally, exhausted and confused, the duck made a mistake of submerging a split second later than it should. One  eagle descended upon the duck, and, within seconds, squeezed the life out of it. Then something strange happened; the eagle either could not free itself or it was unable lift its prey from the water; in any case the eagle had to swim the entire half of the river back to the shore (a good hundred meters). Its  wings were flapping like oars and the air in the plumage helped the bird to stay afloat.
It was the eagle's lucky day  to make it to the safety of terra firma.

What, we wondered, would happen to the eaglets if one of the hard working pair died? 

We had no answer for that.

In June the eaglets became more and more mobile making use of the branches that also supported the nest.

Their housecleaning was exemplary, and judging by the lush vegetation below, environmentally super friendly.

That first year, we did not pay frequent visits to the nest and when we returned from a July trip to somewhere else, the nest was empty. All of them, Flapper and Chomper and even Sleeper, whom we so worried about, were gone. We could only hope that all the eaglets went on to survive. Such probability is very low, it is believed that only 1 in 10  will reach the adulthood, most dying in their first year.
 Starvation, disease and weather will take their toll; along with human activities and interference. It takes 4 - 5 years for a Bald Eagle to mature.

Columbia Lily, Lilium columbianum - also called Tiger Lily (this name is used for other lily species as well) 

Later on that year I was kayaking Kootenay River and heard a pitiful peep-peeep-peeep coming from somewhere above. I looked and looked and followed the sound and looked again. There he was! Or maybe it was a she. Calling Mom or Dad who were (purposefully) on the other side of the bay watching a bunch of young Canada Geese.. 

Bald Eagles mature at 4-5 years of age.
It would take couple more years for the young
to sport the white on its head and tail and yellow on its beak. 

Seemingly abandoned and for sure hungry, the young eagle was calling for help. I could see the white head of an adult far away on the other side of the bay. 

Intentionally ignored by the parents (at least for the time being) the young was being subjected to their "tough love". Go and hunt for yourself - we shall be only a backup from now on.

Come on, I told him. Such a big guy and you are talking like a chicken. Peep-peep-peep ... not much stronger than that.
How unfair of me!
It was a baby, only about four months old, size of an adult but a helpless young bird nevertheless.

The eagles have "weak" voice - at least to our human ears it sounds weak. But what if we simply cannot hear the sounds they communicate with. Who is the weak one then?

At the end of August I had another lucky glimpse into the Bald Eagle's life. We were camping in Burton, BC by Arrow Lake where the kokanee salmon were getting ready to spawn. The avian world was there too - ready to join the party.

Ballet school of California Gull, Larus californicus  (practicing Swan Lake production)
To see their ultimate goal please click the "Swan Lake" link above and then just play the Youtube video.

I was sneaking up to a flock of gulls when I noticed two Bald Eagles, one adult, one immature, hiding in the treetops. It seemed to me that they knew each other well and that there there was some kind of
communication happening between the two. I turned my attention to the gulls only to see them take off - in sheer panic and disarray.

I glanced back to the eagles hardly having time to notice that, like lightning, two shadows left the treetops. Eagles were hunting together - the old bird teaching the young!

They separated a gull from its flock and the adult eagle followed. 

The young one then abandoned the hunt and returned to its high perch while the adult kept on the pursuit.

I admired both of them for their speed was amazing.
Split of a second calculations and timings meant death or life.  How long could they go on for?
Almost upsetting the kayak I tried to follow their path.

I could see the gull losing strength but, somehow on its adrenaline rush, it managed to find the energy for a desperate maneuver - it flew straight up and immediately down again. The eagle missed and decided to abandon its hunt.
The gull, a hero from now on, dashed to the safety of the flock to share its story.

Bald Eagle settled back on its treetop branch, seagull feather still tucked in its talon. 

I could imagine it whistling in the soft eagle whisper: "OK, son, that was the wrong way to do it."

It was easy to believe that the adult eagle was teaching the young some special hunting technique.

Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus 

The first season ended. Once the eaglets leave the nest, the adults have no reason to stay. They roost elsewhere for the night and by Fall they separate for the season. It will be end of February, here in the Columbia Basin, before they start re-establishing their bond. Bald Eagles mate for life; and theirs is an impressive lifespan of  plus or minus 30 years.
Their nest will be re-used and built onto a year after year, after another year ... until it reaches gigantic proportions, or until the tree collapses underneath the nest's mega-weight.

Eagle's nest on Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa on Old Hedley Road near Princeton, BC.
By the following Spring the tree broke in half.

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK

Winter is over and many birds are on the move.
Common Redpolls, Carduelis flammea already took off - they will be tweeting their summer away somewhere in the Arctic tundra.










With many insects coming out from their winter hiding spots, the chickadees  moved to more wooded areas.

Black-capped Chickadee,
Poecilla atricapilla










While the Black-capped will come and go, the Mountain Chickadees, Poecilla gambeli  will stay in higher areas.

Gone for the summer!


Steller's Jays and Northern Flickers are gone as well, all looking for nesting sites.



American Goldfinches, Carduelis tristis have disappeared for now. They are hiding in the bush, while the male's plumage changes from its ordinary winter colours to twenty-four-karat gold.

Soon the male goldfinches will look like this:

Their golden plumage will help to convey the usual message of great condition and the best of the best. Ah, the Quest!

But, beautifully visible could bear its price.

New songbird species are arriving every week - and all are busy courting and establishing their nesting sites.

  

American Robin, Turdus migratorius and Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor;  the much-welcome messengers of spring in southern British Columbia.

Someone else arrived, someone extremely agile, someone equipped with powerful rounded wings and a long tail that serves as a rudder giving an ability to manoeuvre amongst the densest branches of the forest. One of the Accipiters, the small but powerful birds of prey, has returned to our community.

It is a "she" Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, I had been told  (thank you raptor expert Michael McMann for helping me to identify this bird). Compared to other hawks she is quite small - only about 30 - 35 cm long but still a bit larger than her mate (as it is a usual trait for the birds of prey).

Her squarish tail is barred, her reddish eyes sharp and her plumage is elegant.

It could be a mouse that she is watching although more often it is a songbird ends up in her long talons. 

Late afternoon seems to be her hunting time and it looks like she prefers.patience and a sudden attack to an air chase though a year ago I have watched her pursue a small bird in flight.




What an aerial battle it was! The little bird was quite fast and capable of quick and desperate turns. She, so much larger but equipped with wings and tail that account for her amazing movement ability, followed every curve of the little bird's path, always missing by a hair. Finally, she figured out that she would have to look for someone less fit and abandoned the chase.

Last year she stayed around our small community and probably built a nest nearby.

She would appear on alternate days usually just before dusk, often hiding in the bushes, well camouflaged and motionless, for in Nature it is mainly the movement that gives everything away. When an opportunity came several quick wing beats would propel her forward and then a low, quiet glide would follow before descending onto her unwary prey.

She would hunt relentlessly during the nesting time.
Last spring a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, Sialia currucoides took up a residence in a nesting box by the river and the entire human neighbourhood was excited about the event. The box is on a flat with almost no trees around so the bluebirds would be able to detect a predator. Still, after sometime we noticed the absence of the blue-sapphire birds ....

It was our neighbor Mike, who told us later what happened to the nesting bluebirds. The hawk, having nowhere to hide, would perch on the top of the nesting box, waiting for the bluebird female to fly out and ... wham .... not a chance for the bird!

Last time I saw her she was on another lookout for a meal.

Totally focused, she ignored me completely, allowing me to sneak closer and closer. She watched something on the ground - not wanting to scare her away I did not dare to turn around to check it out. But my fingers were loosening the knobs on the tripod, cranking the ISO and lowering the F stop ... all of that in the anticipation of her next move.

Just when she lifted her powerful talon I heard some cheerful voices coming  from behind!

To my disbelief two men, their arms flailing in all directions, came around the corner, loudly and happily discussing some kind of a construction project!

No-one, ever, walks about here at dusk. Ever!

I swung my head in their direction making the ugliest "Go Away!" face I could muster. I waved my hand from my hip. Shooosh!

You cannot scare two guys discussing a construction of ... something. They did not even notice that I was there. Five foot ten and the whole twenty meters away? Com'on!
And a bird?
What bird?

The hawk too lost its focus, looked their way, thought exactly the same thoughts as I did, and  .... shooosh .... , disappeared into the sunset.

Murphy's Law.

I have not seen two people in this area since. 

But then, I have not seen another Sharp-shinned Hawk either - that's because we removed the bird feeder and the beautiful hawk seems to have moved on. 

Deer Family of British Columbia - MOOSE

Moose Antlers, Hoopy Lake, Kamloops, BC

To the first-time observer the Moose, Alces alces,  looks kind of prehistoric, clumsy, awkward and outright strange. Its head is not "cute" (by human standard ) like that of a deer, the snout is way too long and out of proportion, the legs are long and spindly for the large body that they have to carry, the hooves are too big ..... it would not make it in Holywood ...but ... why don't we take a closer look?

A couple of years ago, my camera and I found ourselves seated on the ground of a cold muddy ditch. We were pretty much in a swamp near one of the Kootenay Summits waiting for a whitetail deer to show up for his daily Salt'n Spa Treatment. 

The deer tiptoed in and I, hiding under a large umbrella and admired by clouds of black flies, was totally absorbed in my photography. Five minutes later, no longer able to withstand the flies, I shook my head only to see a large moose cow and her calf some ten meters away, enjoying the mud and salt as well. When did they show up? Two large animals like that and I did not hear them come! (Yes, I am semi-deaf, but still...)

Biting flies or not, I did not dare to move much; Big Mamma was too close and I did not dare to take a chance of upsetting her. You need to know that I paid for this picture with my blood regardless, for in the name of their next generation, the black flies sucked me dry before she decided to take her calf elsewhere.

It was not too bad for her to move through the swamp because the moose have hooves that can spread widely - that helps them move through mud and snow as if they wore snow shoes. 
Let me tell you - I tried to walk in and it was not so easy for me.

Their long, strong legs carry them well above the water or snow. They are excellent hikers and swimmers, well adapted to many different environments - deep forests, swamps, lakes and rivers.Their long snouts, with nostrils that can close when under water, help them reach the submerged vegetation or, when hiking, reach lichens suspended from branches high above. 

In its last stretch before Castlegar, Kootenay River does not look like an ideal moose habitat. It is too rocky and sterile because it had been dammed so many times. Yet during the fall, when aquatic plants thrive in some of the shallower bays, the moose come to feed. Not the huge moose bulls whose antlers we photographed in the Kamloops area. At least I have not had an opportunity and the privilege to meet one here. But on more than one occasion I did meet a moose cow on these shores, usually in late summer and fall and always after the sunset while letting my kayak glide on the glassy surface of the river. 

Last Stretch, Kootenay River just before its conjunction with Columbia River by Castlegar

Common Mergansers and mating insects, Kootenay River after Sunset

Anchored by the weeds I was observing a heron that landed on a dry tree above a beaver's lodge. A mother whitetail with her twins happened to show up competing for my attention. When I looked back the heron was gone. It was getting darker by the second and I decided to turn back and head home. 
Yet, before I even moved something that wasn't there before caught my eye - a boulder that seemed to be, somehow, out of place.

Elodea, Water Weeds

While the moose was feeding - completely in and out of water, a beaver swam by and all I could do in that falling darkness was to put away my camera, sit, watch and think how lucky I am to live a peaceful life in such an amazing part of the world.

As stated above, moose can completely close their nostrils and when they feed under water their long snout helps them to reach down and feel for for grasses.

The same long snout also helps the moose (mooses, meese .... TOEFEL studies ... couldn't help it ) reach up for twigs and lichens and buds; other favourite moose foods.

OK, I do realize that I haven't seen much when it comes to this species. I have only seen the cows and the young - the bull is apparently much larger and almost 2x heavier than cows. The antlers can be huge - the largest I have seen have been tossed in the grass by a cabin at a remote lake by Kamloops, BC.
There was another pair nailed to a log on a shed. No wonder that the male must be so much larger and stronger - to carry such weight.

Moose Antlers, Hoopy Lake, Kamloops, BC

Like every male in the deer family, the moose needs his antlers for advertising his condition, for fending off the rivals and for protection from predators. By the end of the rutting season it is time to shed the heavy weight (a good set of moose antlers could weigh 30 or more kilograms). The exhausted bull would only attract attention of predators not having much of a chance to beat his odds.
Rut happens in September  and October and the calves are born some eight months later. They will stay with the cow for the most of their first year of life. 

A Moose Cow and Her Young, Manning Park, BC

A bull moose shed his antlers. With the upcoming spring they will start anew. For now there are only two nubs on his forehead.
This photo was taken in the dark ages of pre-digital era (actually using a wonderful Fujichrome Velvia slide film) - it had been scanned on almost an equally old scanner at 1200dpi.

My most exciting moose encounter happened on Kootenay River several years ago. The darkness was falling so I put away my camera, keeping out only a small camcorder. 
Just in case. The moon would rise soon, perhaps I could record that.

I sat in my 2-meter kayak, parked on the rocky shore - more or less stuck between two boulders and quite immobile at a moments notice. All was quiet and the world came to a complete still. 

One of those magical moments, I thought.

Well, it was magic allright because as I lifted my head I was staring at a dark bulk of ... something. It seemed that IT was also staring at me. Neither of us dared to move (well, I better talk only for myself).

Another something stumbled onto the shore - much smaller than the heavy shadow that was towering above my shore-stuck-kayak-bound little being. A baby moose!

Oh boy!

Now what?

I whispered in my weakest, tiniest little voice ever: "Hi you." 

(or maybe it was something different, I do not remember).

 Thankfully, the big mamma moose was  in a tranquil mood, two steps and she would have easily shared the kayak with me. She nervously lifted her powerful hoof then turned back, unsure, glancing in my direction. 

Awwwwhhh, Great Mamma Moose, thank you for being a nice girl tonight! I shall not move or spook your little one, not make a sound (though the courage is growing equally with the distance between us and the camcorder is gently purring in my silly palm.) 

With a couple more glances they walked away skirting the shore, to find another spot.

I treasure this fear-soaked, awesome footage and it bugged me that I could not use it for the purpose of this blog (not yet - have to figure out how first). 

But today it dawned on me that, perhaps, I could rip an image or two from the precious video.

Not only did it work (what would we do without the right mouse button?) the frames happily jumped into "My Documents" and saved themselves as a ".png"  file.

Dragged into Adobe Photoshop I adjusted the exposure and noise and saved as a .jpg  so I can finally share my greatest evening on Kootenay River with the rest of the world. 

And I am happy that I am still able to write about it too, for an angry mother moose is one of the most aggressive animals around. She is also so protective and so formidable that her young does not need the well known protective baby spots.

As she decided to walk away, she immediately placed herself (and her hooves) between her young and myself. Just keep on walking it that direction and, thank you very much for everything!

TIMBER WOLF... and a photographer's rant

The Basic Rules of Nature Photography read somewhat like this:

Rule # 1: Have you camera near or ATTACHED to your body 24/7

Rule # 2: Check your camera settings the night before a trip.

Rule # 3: Have you batteries charged. Always carry a spare one.

Rule # 4: Carry your camera attached to a tripod.

Rule # 5: Check the memory card. Carry a spare one.

There is more but ... try to neglect only one of the above and your trip will end up as follows:

Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Halcyon Hot Springs near Nakusp, BC. Great. 

Monashee Mountains near Nakusp

So, the last night I placed my camera bag and the tripod onto the back seat of our vehicle to be ready (good girl).

Hopped into the car at 8 a.m. (OK timing) without even setting an eye on the bag on the back seat (bad girl). 

Somehow I did not believe that we would see any wildlife today (no comment).

The drive through Slocan Valley was beautiful as always and there were plenty of whitetail deer by the road but somehow I was too lazy to turn back, fish out a camera and set it on my lap (as I always do).

It was around 10 a.m. when ... a dog? ... a coyote? ... no, a wolf climbed out of the ditch adjacent to Arrow lake. 

A real, wild and pretty large gray (also called timber) wolf !!!! We have NEVER seen a wild wolf in nature before!

Now, where is my camera? 

Yes, safely zipped up in the camera bag on the back seat! The bag with all my equipment is beautifully laid parallel to the tripod waiting to be picked up and transferred to the front (and I am suffering from a pinched sciatic nerve so turning back shall be no fun)!

The wolf seems to be in no hurry - as soon as we pass, it steps onto the road. 

Meanwhile, I am frantically trying to reach back (rip the silly nerve in two if I have to), fighting not one, but a couple of sturdy zippers, pulling out the the camera with a 100 mm lens and finally (my torso twisted into a painful pretzel) managing to press the shutter: 

SHOOT first, see what you got later. Even through the rear window! Then try to get a better shot.

(Another rule)

As the car comes to a full stop the wolf pauses - a second or two. Then it resumes walking (not running) to the opposite ditch from which the forest climbs up the steep side of a mountain.

I have a feeling that the animal too, has a pinched nerve or a busted leg ... something does not seem to be right, as if he was favouring his hind leg.

I manage to get out of the car and take another shot - just when he pauses, one last time, among the trees.

The exposure seems to last way too long! 

Gone.Time to check the settings.

WHO on Mother Earth was playing with my camera? The F stop is at 29. ISO at 800! 

I swear I did not have anything to drink last night! 

In a way the ISO 800 saved at least one of my shots - the one through the rear window! 

But F 29 for a free hand .... well, I am afraid that I am too old for that.

So - the very first time we saw a wild wolf  I came home with 2 photos: 

1) A striped wolf

2) Picasso wolf

ENJOY

Striped Wolf

After talking to people at the Hot Springs we realized that the wolf, like us, was probably visiting one of the thermal streams that come down the mountain and into the lake.
It would only make sense for a hurting animal to utilize the Nature's Spa.

Piccaso Wolf
(Wondering how much they would pay me for this.)

To avoid further disappointments like this 

I promised to myself :

To buy a very large tube of Crazy Glue to make us (my camera and I) inseparable from now on.

Each and every night at 8 p.m. to check all the settings, batteries and filters in all the cameras within the 1 km radius..

To scrub each and every glass element on every lens I can find until it shines like a diamond.

To baby my tripod and carry it with me at all times.

(Yes, you guessed right: I just had a glass of wine.)

On a positive side: We saw a live gray wolf right here, in the West Kootenays and it was the sight that will always remain etched into my mind.

Slocan Valley

Gray Wolf, Canis lupus also called 

Timber Wolf.

It is native to North America and Eurasia.

The wolf story is quite well known by now, fortunately the outlook  seems to be improving.
The North American wolves have been quite abused by the European settlers, and almost wiped out (ruthlessly shot, poisoned, trapped) in most of its former habitat in the
United States.
Canadian wolves were just a bit luckier, probably only thanks to the fact that the human population here is about 10x less than that of the USA.
European Wolves  shared a very similar fate.

Fortunately the attitudes are somewhat changing and there are increasing reports of wolf sightings.
As the understanding of their behavior and biology increases perhaps the fortunes of the wolf will turn for the better.

The wolves in my three photographs are not truly wild. They were born into captivity, used in the movies and when they grew older they could not be released anywhere in the wild. There is a Refuge for Wildlife at Grouse Mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia that offered to take these wolves in. They live in a quite a large, protected area and it is a gamble to see them. We were lucky on one occasion when they seemed to enjoy a sunny day of  Spring.