Bald Eagle Surveys

So today was a day of flying and checking on whether my eagle nests had chicks in them or not. Eagles are such magestic birds. They can take your breath away when you see them swoop down and float above the river or when they are diving to make a kill. And if your ever lucky enough to see two of them mating you will never forget the experience. But when they are chicks they are the homeliest birds I have ever seen. They are born with no feathers. They look like tiny plucked chickens. Then they get a little down on them so they look like gray fuzz balls. The next stage is the first set of feathers. They will be almost all brown. Now they are the size of small footballs and from the air staring into the nest that is what they look like little brown footballs just lying there waiting for the next meal. It is hard to believe that they will be the awesome birds their parents are.

We checked 33 nest in four hours. I thought I was well prepared. I had my patch on and had ginger candy with me. I was doing fine the first two hours. Recording data on the computer searching out the window for the nests. We stopped on a patch of dry land for a bathroom break and for lunch. We I was feeling pretty good. We had three nest and about fifteen minutes left of flying when the airsickness kicked in. I was so disappointed in myself for throwing up again on the plane. Icould not believe it. but after I threw up I felt fine and finished the work with no problem. We had a 60% success rate which is above average and overall it was a good day. I even had guest for supper that night. I just have to find a way to beat this airsickness before moose surveys start. They take days to do. By the way I finally saw my moose. A lone, young female in a pond near a nest. YEAH!!!!!