The junco nest is full of activity. Four newly hatched baby birds, mom and dad junco frantically feeding their brood. I heard yesterday that another family of juncos had taken up residence in the bird house our 10 year old grandson built and erected in their city neighborhood. Evidently, 10 year old curiosity and impulsiveness got the better of our sweet (but exasperating) boy and he decided to raise the babies in his bedroom. Luckily the cleaning lady came by just hours later to discover the source of frantic squeaking inside the bedroom. Three baby birds. After learning where they actually "live" she returned them to the bird house. Haven't heard yet whether the parents resumed rearing their human-smelling babies, but I can only hope for the best. The grandson, meanwhile, reached a tearful and contrite position, and said he would never do anything like that again. He especially reacted to descriptions of frantic junco parents searching for their abducted little ones. Life's lessons are sometimes painful.

Why do the crows even bother?

I rode the train into Seattle yesterday morning, returning from a trip to Glacier Park. It snowed there for four straight days, but I saw a ginormous male grizzly bear galumphing through a meadow and on across the highway toward the St Mary River, so it could have been 50 below and I would have considered the trip a complete success. Anyway, just as we were almost to the station at the end of the trip, traveling along the edge of Puget Sound by Myrtle Edwards Park, there was a bald eagle quite close to the shore, maybe 15 feet above the water, being chased by a pair of frantic crows. For there in the eagle's beak dangled a baby crow. The outraged crow parents hadn't yet come to grips with their obvious loss, but these things never end well do they? Then, after refueling with a cup of authentic coffee at Zeitgeist we headed home, and there on the Bridge was Ethel at her "Post". I love that girl. Haven't seen Ernest for a long time. But figure he's somewhere about, hopefully helping on occasion with the care and feeding of the eaglet(s). Two years ago we actually saw Ethel's eaglet when it fledged in late July that season.

Ethel, yesterday & again today

Two trips across the 520 Bridge in the last 24 hours. Yesterday no sign of Ethel on our Westbound travel but an hour later she was perched on the light post.....it's almost always that same one. The one she shared with Eddie. RIP Eddie. We miss you. And just now we caught sight of Ethel flying back to her nest with food for her baby. Or babies. We have an Oregon Junco nest in the wild blackberry thicket at the base of one of our huge fir trees. This is the second round for this junco mama. She had a brood that fledged in April, and now she is sitting on four little blue eggs. Juncos love being on the ground. They build their nests at ground level, and they seem to prefer to walk rather than fly. It's cooler here now, but she's doing a good job keeping her eggs warm. Soon we will have baby juncos to watch.

Ethel and her crow escort

A few moments ago I looked up, right over our back yard, and there was a small adult eagle at low altitude being chased by four crows. I know how this is going to end. The eagle was effortlessly riding the slight breeze (there is almost zero wind speed during this spring warm spell) and the crows were flapping their wings rapidly trying to keep up. The group of them circling back and forth just above the crowns of the fir and hemlock trees in the neighborhood, and just as I was watching....two of the crows peeled off just like F-15s do during the Blue Angel shows....and were soon replaced by two fresh sets of wings. Crows are nothing if not clan protective. Aunts and uncles and grandparents all appear to join in the fight to protect the nest from raiders. They are usually able to fend off the raccoons, reach a draw with the smaller raptors like the sharp shinned hawks, and almost undoubtedly lose the battle to the eagles. It looks like Ethel today, judging by the size, but that's purely a guess. I am almost certain that this eagle will prevail in the end and raid the crow nest of the babies inside. Survival in the wild. I won't take sides in this fight, though if it is Ethel....well.....you go, Girl.

Happy Mothers Day Ethel

Still haven't confirmed that Ethel is once again an active mother, but I believe she is. Anyway, there she was on this absolutely glorious Mothers Day, temps in the 80's, azure sky, barely a ripple on Lake Washington....perched on the same post she has always favored. West of the west high rise, north side of the 520 Bridge. I hope she catches a big salmon to take home to her eaglets.....or just to share with Ernest if I am incorrect about the family situation. Every time I see one of these wonderful eagles while crossing the bridge I know that the world is still spinning on its axis, all is well, summer will be spectacular, and the economy will continue to improve.

Another beautiful day.....

Two round trips over The Bridge today. We are enjoying perfect spring weather, sunny skies, temps in the 70's. The only glimpse of either eagle occurred upon my return trip home early this afternoon. I saw one of them flying quite low over the span between the western high rise and the Arboretum....flying north to south. I am thinking about visiting the Broadmoor Golf Club soon to try to actually look at Ethel & Ernest's nest. I asked the guard at the entrance gate if he knew where the nest was, and he told me the eagles move it every few years. The things get to be the size of a double bed mattress over time, and eventually gravity wins the contest. The guard didn't tell me if he knows where the nest is now...and I know eagles are good at choosing sites which are not readily visible, for obvious reasons. Anyway, I will report what I find out. I'd just like to be able to picture "Home" for our eagle family.

Ethel....two days in a row.

Two recent trips across the bridge, two Ethel sightings. We didn't see her on Tuesday, but she was on the north fountain just off Foster Island yesterday around noon when we crossed the bridge eastbound. And this morning on our trip westbound into the city, there she was, around 8 am, sitting there on the all-time favorite light standard where she and Eddie hung out together so often in times past. Ethel looks good....well fed, healthy. If she came close to starving to death while she sat on the nest for several weeks it is not apparent. Maybe Ernest really is a prince, and brought her food and gave her an occasional break from egg sitting? Who knows. I tend to attribute human characteristics to animals (I do that all the time with Wilson). No glimpses of Ernest lately. We may travel the bridge again during the weekend. I'll report it if we catch sight of either of our friends then.

quiet day

A nice spring day in the Northwest. The city was in upheaval with the May Day protests, but everything else was pretty quiet. Caught sight of one of the eagles circling high above the lake and above the 520 Bridge when we made our westbound trip this afternoon, but no sign of either eagle upon our return. I wish someone else was writing about Ethel and Ernest, someone who lives in the area of the Arboretum who might know if our friends have an active nest this spring. I continue to believe that they do....Ethel's weeks-long disappearance from late February into the end of April coincides with nesting times for eagles in our area. We will be heading over to Madison Park on the weekend. Maybe one of them (or both) will favor us with their presence then. Just catching sight of them, even one of them high in the clouds like today, is a gift. This is the first real spring we've had in this area in the past three seasons.....and that, in itself, is a gift. All the fruit trees and berry vines are loaded with blossoms now, and the bees are out there working them. This is a magic time of year.