Do you remember those visual puzzles we all did as kids where you compare two apparently identical drawings and try to pick out the subtle differences between them? The girl has a bow in her hair in this one, but a flower in the second one. The man has five buttons on his jacket here, and only three there. It’s a good thing I was fairly good at those, or I would be wondering if there were incubation going on or not in the new Bald Eagle nest in Benbow.
This is what the nest area looked like when I got there at 8 am. I heard what might have been a shift change, as two distinct eagle voices were heard coming from different directions behind that curtain of fog.
The next four images all show very subtle differences from frame to frame. They were taken over a span of a couple hours of watching the nest as the thick fog finally cleared last Wednesday, and from two different vantage points, the second one being a bit lower and somewhat closer.
Not only is poor light an issue, but there is a big fluffy green branch blocking the view of the center of the nest.
The fog started to thin out, revealing what I think is a wing tip of the incubating parent to the right of the obstructing branch, just above the nest rim.Now the incubating parent’s head is seen where the wing tip had beenYour guess is as good as mine….but you can see something bright white in this snap…..….that is gone from this one….and now there is something bright white to the left of the obstructing branchThis was from the last time I was up at the nest on March 31, and you can actually see the eagle’s head to the left and tail to the right.The second parent flew in, but did not land near the nest….….but instead perched in a tree overlooking the old nest.Cell phone snap from the lower vantage point I climbed down to. You’ll have to take my word for it that the nest is right in the center of this frame across the river.
As difficult as watching the Benbow Bald Eagles has become it is nonetheless a thrill to be in the neighborhood of this life-affirming process. On this day of spring busting out all over, a few other birds showed themselves. Yet others, neotropical migrants from distant southern wintering grounds, let themselves be heard: first of season Warbling Vireo, Cassin’s vireo, and Western Flycatcher have made the miraculous journey to raise their families here.
There were many Steller’s Jays chasing each other around all morning.This pair of Kestrels makes a regular appearance on this distant snag as the fog lifts. Male on the left, female on the rightIt turned out to be a three eagle day, as this second year immature Bald Eagle showed up. It soared around for a few moments with Ravens and Turkey Vultures. Second year Bald Eagle showing symmetrical molting pattern as new feathers come in.Turkey Vulture celebrates the lifting of the fog by warming its wings in the sun.
You’ll have to squint a bit to pick out subtle movement of the incubating bird in the nest. You’ll also hear an American Robin singing, a Northern Flicker calling, Acorn Woodpeckers talking to each other, and Steller’s Jays squawking and chattering.
So glad for those white heads! Having spent a good part of my life in a sort of fog, I should be better at sorting things out in these conditions but I am so grateful for your determined efforts and you do get rewards for all of us. Thanks.
Free Range Photography 
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