Thursday, October 2, 2014

Eagle’s Nest

DSC_0451 Mere Point Road Juvenile Bald Eagle and nest 8-23-14

Ever since moving to Mere Point in February I have been aware of the Bald Eagles which live on my road. In spring I started seeing them fly over the house. Later, I learned about the eagle’s nest in a pine tree overlooking Maquoit Bay. Often I would see the Eagles as I drove to town and back. One day one flew right in front of me and landed on something in the open field beyond. The eagle stayed there on the ground as I drove by. Over the course of the summer I saw one and sometimes two adults in the nest or hunting for food over both Mere Point and Maquoit Bays. Eventually the chicks hatched and fledged until one day I saw four eagles in the tree all at the same time! I did not always have my camera with me when I drove by and often there were cars coming, so I could not stop in the middle of the road, but finally one day in August all the stars aligned and I got a shot of one of the juvenile sitting on a branch near the nest. Since then I have continued to look for the eagles but I have not seen any in this tree again. However, I am still seeing both adults and juveniles flying over my yard on occasion. It will be interesting to discover if they stay for the winter, or move south.

DSC_0452

On another note, I was inspired by a friend’s blog post to write a poem about butterflies. Many of you know how pesticides are affecting so many creatures in our environment. Monarch butterflies used to be common in Maine. Now they are rare. My friend, Roy, likes to photograph butterflies in England. His recent post and the comments contained therein revealed that even in England pesticides are having their effect on these fragile creatures. Years ago the choice was made to ban DTT from use as it made the shells of eagles, peregrine falcons and osprey so fragile they would break before the chicks matured and hatched. People all over the world made the right choice and saved these birds from extinction. Now it is time to do the same for butterflies and bees. My Mother happens to love butterflies and they inspired and encouraged her when she was going through chemo for her breast cancer two years ago. I just returned from visiting her for the weekend and she is doing well. Let’s hope there will still be butterflies in her future as well as ours.

Here are the Links to Roy’s blog and my poem I wrote in response to a comment that was made:

11 comments:

  1. Great shots of the Eagle. Glad you were able to find them. Love the poem and I also follow Roy with his wonderful Butterfly photographs. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Margaret! Roy takes wonderful photographs of nature and he has been my blogging buddy for a long time. I would love to meet him in person!

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  2. It was a wonderful poem Kathie.
    There has been some success more recently with farmers in England leaving small patches of ground in the middle of fields clear with no crops and no spraying. This has helped the Skylark by providing a safe area to nest on the ground and feed its chicks. The Skylark is one of our best loved birds and features as you know in many a poem and music etc.
    It is a privilege to hear the Skylark sing as it must be to be able to regularly observe the Bald Eagle. Best wishes.

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    1. Roy, how I would love to hear and see a skylark! they say there are some on a small island off the northwest coast, but I have never been there. I did not know they watched for eagle and sounded the alarm!

      I am glad to hear that some farmers are trying to leave some foliage for the butterflies. Though I do not pay as much attention to them as others do, I still cannot imagine my world without them. And, they do make me smile when I see them! Thank you for your comment and for writing your blog!

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  3. I enjoyed your poem and photos of the eagle. As you may tell from my blog, I have a passion for eagles and host a forum about our Florida county's first ever nests since DDT was abolished.

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    1. Kenneth, it is so wonderful to see the return of eagles and osprey. You would think we had learned our lesson, but apparently not! Thank you for your time and your comment!

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  4. Kathie, I am so happy the Bald Eagles have made such a great comeback.. Now I wish the same for the Monarch Butterfly.. Wonderful eagle photos and post. Happy birding and have a great day!

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    1. Thank you Eileen! I hope we can save the Monarch butterfly as well!

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  5. Amen to your comments about pesticides. How long will they wait? Love your zoom shots of the eagle.

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    1. Thanks Quiet paths, they are a bit blurry, but at least you can see them and their massive nest!

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  6. How wonderful to be able to watch their progress over the weeks Kathie.

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.