What's outside of your picture window today?

https://history.mayoclinic.org/tours-events/mayo-clinic-peregrine-falcon-program.php

Love early spring when all the migrating birds reappear like magic the second the ice goes out!

Today we’re being treated to a flock of Hooded Mergansers bobbing around and a couple of loons out in the middle of the lake. They’re all back, the common mergansers, wood ducks, geese...anything and everything with wings.
We have several eagles nests around our lake and have seen a lot of activity with parents fishing. Hopefully we have lots of new babies. Fun to watch each new eaglet grow into a gorgeous adult over the years.
Yesterday we realized the osprey have returned too and setting up housekeeping in one of the two nests provided by the power company along the line right-of-way.

@merpreb Sorry, Merry, I didn't get the link to you sooner. I was up last night excited about all this so slept in. It's so exciting right now to watch a bird sit still incubating her/his eggs! I must be nuts, Merry. But, it is interesting and I love it, watching them live. Hope you enjoy. I'll ck the Decorah Eagles....Blessings, elizabeth

@ess77
Hi there Liz,
“I must be nuts”
I wasn't brought up to doubt the word of a lady so.........
But nuts or not I enjoy your messages. You are a very nice lady.
So when do we do lunch? Anything YOU! fix will be fine.
But I'm willing to do the right thing and take you out somewhere nice.
Any top-quality candy stores in your neck of the woods?
Take care,
Jake

Hello, Doll....Can't remember the last time I was so sweetly propositioned. Not cooking, remember, warming is good...but yes, we have a local chocolatier family and great choc covered popcorn, or strawberries and a bunch of other goodies...

I think it's great for a friend to agree with me, but do you have to so readily agree that I'm 'nuts'? It is a bit nuts to get so excited as I do with such things. But, you know, these little guys, my patio visitors or Orcon and Hattie on top of the Mayo Rochester building, or the new plants each add flavor and joy to life. Hate to be morbid, but last year was a toughy for us all, especially those of us with health issues...add to that the aloneness of quarantine and covid life, the garbage trucks filled with negative thoughts and hatred and horrid future predictions and the nastiness of so many in our society...where is courtesy? Gentleness? Respect for each other? Respect for differing opinions? Support for others? then the real aloneness of no or limited family ...

Watching falcons feed their babies and get them ready for this world is a wonder of nature. It's Hope in action.

Found the Decorah Eagles, 2 eaglets hatched and growing like crazy. Can't stand to see one of these birds of prey bring live animals to the nest......and, I don't allow myself to think of the birds the falcons kill to survive and feed the chicks.....but, this is Nature so I move my thoughts along.....I'm afraid I was really excited and sharing last night. I felt blessed to have such beauty and love and good around me. Went to sleep smiling and thankful!

Have a very good day, my friend. Blessings to you! elizabeth

@loribmt Sounds wonderful, so many water fowl. You must live on/near a lake? Correction re my post last nite re the nest we have at the back of our property atop a huge, old cypress tree.....wasn't cranes we watches for years....It was osprey. Thanks for reminding me, Lori. Haven't ck'd yet on the nest, but will soon.

Did the power company or any nature groups install any earth cams or viewing of the eagles' nests you mentioned? Wouldn't that be a good thing?
Have fun with your precious migrants returning to you this year. Just think, one or two or more may have stopped to visit in northern Florida on the way home to enjoy my feeders....hope so!
Blessings on this wonderful day, elizabeth

I've developed a bad sinus headache and face/eye ache the last couple hours. I'm heading to bed now to see if I can stave off something that seems to be coming.

@ess77 Hi Elizabeth. We are on a lake in northern Wisconsin. 60% of the land is a state forest so the lake is relatively quiet for its size. We have 3 or 4 eagle nests that I’m aware of and no cams. Fairly inaccessible areas. So we don’t see the first hatchlings but the eagles seem to have favorite trees for roosting and feeding. One right near us so we can watch all the action! 🦅

We also have 3 loon platforms and a couple of natural nests. Lots of loon calls to keep us feeling ‘lakey’.
When we’re in Florida during the winter and see all the osprey on the gulf, we often wonder if they’re some of ours. LOL. All ‘snowbirds’ heading south for the winter. ☺️

It’s never boring here for sure. I set up 4 trail cams around the property. Lots of deer, fox, a lone wolf, bob cat, porcupine, otters...beaver!
Oh he’s a little sneaker! The beaver has a huge lodge and family. They’ve felled several large birch trees! Some at least 15 inches in diameter! They strip the bark first, which they eat. After that, they gnaw into the tree until it tips over into the water. Then they strip off the remaining bark, bite off limbs and float them down the lake to their dam. Industrious but darn it! Those birch trees were so gorgeous. But it’s all part of the natural cycle up here and we’re just observers.

I’ll post a pic of a mother eagle and one of her offspring who is 4 years old in this picture. Young eagles don’t have a white head or tail. It takes 5 years for that to happen. The one in the photo is almost to adult plumage.

Sure hope you feel better in the morning! Hugs, Lori.

@ess77, Thank you for sharing the "Mayo Clinic Falcons are back in their nesting box"! What a treat indeed to learn more about these two and that others can also observe the nesting falcons on the live cam feed!

@loribmt Aren't they fantastic! What a great picture. You are surrounded by wonderful blessings with all your neighbors. I'd be in heaven with that situation....look how excited I get over a falcon couple and family! A couple of migrating Red-breasted Grosbeak, never seen before! A couple of woodpeckers and my cardinal families who seem to know me.....what a treat to add a fox, deer, wolf, bobcat. and all the others.

I might be a bit aggravated with the pesky beavers, tho, as I'm also a tree lover. I've lived in JAX since 1964 and actually cried as the lovely woods w/pines, maples, huge and old cypress and live oaks and all the other beautiful tress with the living creatures left with no home are destroyed, in one day. I would drive to work down what used to be a lovely 2 lane road, on the way home the woods and all life would be gone!

Gone! Nothing but dirt and soon an apartment or condo or strip mall would be there. I love the growth of our city, but it's been at a cost. I had brown rabbits, a couple of fox, eagles, hawks, owls, lots of possum, and other wonderful friends for years surrounding me in woods now replaced with homes, apartments......I miss my previous neighbors, but love my patio/deck visitors.

Enjoy your place in heaven, Lori. And, please send more pictures....blessings, elizabeth

@ess77 Believe me, every tree lost in the forest around us is gut wrenching and deeply felt. Two sides of our property are state forest and we got word last year that logging rights have been sold. My husband and I are living on pins and needles (pine) in hopes that it isn’t clear cut! We have 100 year old huge Red and White pines... just thinking of their demise makes me ill.
I can feel your agony over the loss of the old cypress and oaks. What a tragedy...reminds me of “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. With a pink hotel, a boutique and a swingin’ hot spot...”. Sad.

But we are truly blessed with a plethora of wildlife and serenity. It really is a slice of heaven, Elizabeth. I’m happy to share some photos. My camera is always at the ready. ☺️

For today’s enjoyment...😉 A little tree frog, Wood duck and one of the beaver trees! This one was a good foot in diameter right on the shore. Grrr.