Countdown 365 ~ T-93

March 2010

Total Miles: 534.8 Miles

Wildlife: Moose: 14 ~ Dall Sheep: 4 ~ Bald Eagles

The month was a slow month for dedicated photo treks, due primarily to several winter storms. During the month, I completed only two trips. However, with the appearance of spring, the activity will once again commence. APRIL 2010

Total Miles: 44.6 ~ Wildlife: 5 Moose ~ Eagles

With the feel of spring in the air today, I took a short photo trek to the community of Homer to visit the Homer Spit. My primary objective today was to get additional shots of the American Bald Eagle. With the commencement of spring, the majority of the Eagle population has now departed the Homer Spit for their summer nesting and feeding areas. At our home, we are starting to see the Eagle population increase. With the return of the salmon, we will see our Eagle population increase rapidly. In the coming weeks, we will witness the flights of migratory waterfowl passing through the area en route to their nesting areas. This young moose has now adopted us and the yard has become its sanctuary from the cruel world outside. The calf’s mother has evicted the calf from the nest in preparation for re-birth and another generation. At this stage in their life, they really do not know what to expect and seem to latch onto any security they can find. The calf is doing a great job in pruning our trees and bushes, some we do not wish to be pruned.

"Spring Gardening"

Homer Spit ~ April 3, 2010 This series of shots were taken of the same Bald Eagle demonstrating their ability in "Eagle Aerodynamics".

"Clearance for Take-Off"

"Full Power, Climbing To Altitude"

"Picking Up A Little Lift"

"Altitude Attained, Leveled Off"

"Eric"

Found this guy in a out of the way spot, for lack of a better name I called him Eric. With the sunny weather, he decided it was time for a bath and picked a nice puddle of snow melt off to accomplish the task. He was proud of his find, during my hour with him, several other birds came in close to observe what was going on. Evidently, Eric gave them the "Eagle Eye"because they moved on to find their own spot. He was still bathing when I left. As you can see from the facial shot, he could have chose a little cleaner bath water. All of these shots were taken without any type of zoom or enlargement lens. In most of the shots I took, I had to step back to get the shot. At all times, I was taking these shots two to six feet from Eric.

"Not Clean ~ But Refreshed"

"Toes Look Clean"

"Just A Little Dribble Off My Beak"

"Smells O.K. To Drink"

Oh Yea, That Is Good"

"Wish I Had A Straw"

"Down The Hatch"

"That Really Hit The Spot"

As They All, Any Time You Can Get Out And Enjoy The Wonders Of Nature, It Is A Good Day.