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Post by MCS on Mar 27, 2009 20:06:26 GMT -5
When I was a kid, the only place I saw a Bald Eagle was on top of the flag pole in the class room, as a monument in front of a building, or in a picture - live ones were near extinction The banning of DDT years ago has turned the eagle population completely around. I now see eagles just about every week Last weekend, while driving from the cabin to the Twin Cities, we saw three. Today we had to run into town for some groceries and as we drove down a county highway an eagle crossed the road and as we followed it, it joined some others that were having a snack out in a field. We stopped and watched them for awhile through binoculars. We counted eight adults and at least that many juveniles and I'm quite sure there were several eaglets. Of course there had to be some common crows mixed in too. What a bird! The eagles we saw today were not along the path we took last weekend so it was not a duplicate sighting. They were still in the area when we drove back to the cabin and we stopped and watched them again. They had moved from the ground to the trees but could easily be spotted - no leave on the trees. We frequently see eagles soaring around our lake too. The recovery of the eagle population as certainly been a success Does anyone know what is going on with the California Condor?
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Post by RandyMac on Mar 28, 2009 0:03:11 GMT -5
The Condors are slowly increasing, there is talk about re-introducing them to the Klamath Basin. We have local Ospreys, saw one today while looking at Grey Whales.
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Post by billg on Mar 28, 2009 0:53:34 GMT -5
Those gosh darn eagles are a problem here. Back when I worked for the goverment their droppings were good, Now they cost me money
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Post by MCS on Mar 28, 2009 8:20:49 GMT -5
Bill, I know you are close to the Quad cities and of course the Mississippi. I used to get to Dubuque, IA frequenty and remember seeing lots of eagles around there. What problems do eagles cause? Are they distructive of just "messy?"
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Post by chesterwin on Mar 28, 2009 19:23:40 GMT -5
We only have a few eagles, but tons of osprey. I can watch a nesting pair from my back porch. Also, have a pair of hawks nesting in a big gum tree in the front. I haven't identified what kind of hawks yet. Had wood ducks nexting on the other side of the driveway for the past few years but guess the hawks made them decide to relocate this year. Back in the 70's the osprey were fairly rare. Since DDT was outlawed they've made a heck of a comeback.
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Post by RandyMac on Mar 28, 2009 19:28:37 GMT -5
Eagles and the other large raptors kill and eat young livestock. I nesting pair can go through a handfull of lambs in a week.
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Post by billg on Mar 29, 2009 1:04:15 GMT -5
My post was a attempt at a bit of humor that was not well explained. I used to work for the US Army Corp of Engineers at a Lock and Dam on the Mississippi River. When payday arrived the old saying was "The eagle sh...ts today". That was a good thing.
There are quite a few wastes in how the government spends money. That cost's all of us tax dollars. Thus the "eagle is shi..ing away money" . It was not a great attempt at humor but I am no comedian.
As for the actual eagles we have many of them here and have for many years. I live on the bluff looking out across the Misssissippi River. We are right at the Lock and Dam. During a normal winter the river freezes up above the dam but is open below the dam for about 1/4 mile. Since eagles feed on fish they gather around the open water. That is why we have so many here during the winter. All the eagle watchers from Iowa come over here and line up on the levee road.
Bill
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Post by billg on Mar 30, 2009 0:41:26 GMT -5
I have a story about a Red-Tail Hawk but my luck the dang DNR is watching.
Bill
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Post by billg on Mar 30, 2009 0:43:28 GMT -5
On a side note. As for buzzards I will say to any DNR guy. I belive they are free game. If you do not like it then freaking cuff me
Bill
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Post by chainsawwhisperer on Mar 30, 2009 12:18:19 GMT -5
Birds that eat dead things are carrion-fowl
He saw in the middle airs below him five birdlike forms, horrible as carrion-fowl yet greater than eagles, cruel as death. Now they swooped near, venturing almost within bowshot of the walls. "JRRT" CSW
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Post by lesorubcheek on Mar 30, 2009 13:42:54 GMT -5
Buzzards are filthy nasty things, like those nasty possums. But like possums, they are a necessary evil. I would rather see buzzards flying around my place than see and smell a dead dog or calf or whatever. That reminds me of a little story. When I was young, probably 5-6 years old, I was riding on the tractor with my Dad just checking out stuff. We drove by a spot where he drug dead cows/hogs and there was a cow that had died just a few days ago. It was bloated and starting to stink really nice. I looked and yelled for Dad to stop the tractor. "The cow's still alive... look its moving" I said. Sure enough, the body of the cow was twitching around and almost looked like it was trying to get up. Stopped and got off the tractor and walked closer. Man it stunk! Daddy found a branch and started poking its stomach. Three possums came crawling out the rear of the cow! There's an annual possum festival in Wausua Fl. Needless to say, I've never had an appetite to try one. Always remember 'em, crawling out the tail-end of that dead cow. Dan
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Post by lesorubcheek on Mar 30, 2009 13:44:34 GMT -5
He saw in the middle airs below him five birdlike forms, horrible as carrion-fowl yet greater than eagles, cruel as death. Now they swooped near, venturing almost within bowshot of the walls. "JRRT" CSW Would that be a Nazgul? Dan
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Post by chainsawwhisperer on Mar 30, 2009 15:29:37 GMT -5
Nazgul: From Black Speech - nazg, "ring", and gûl, "wraith, spirit"
Dan gets 1 point!
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Post by lesorubcheek on Mar 30, 2009 18:37:03 GMT -5
Nazgul: From Black Speech - nazg, "ring", and gûl, "wraith, spirit" Dan gets 1 point! WooHoo!!!! Frodo Lives! Dan
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Post by billg on Mar 31, 2009 0:41:56 GMT -5
Someone say dead cows? ?. I sure have some this spring. That along with a premature calf the size of a dog. Bill
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Post by chainsawwhisperer on Mar 31, 2009 11:33:39 GMT -5
I guess I kinda went off topic...my bad
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Post by lesorubcheek on Mar 31, 2009 13:49:30 GMT -5
I guess I kinda went off topic...my bad I followed... so I don't mind being blamed. It was fun though! Dan
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Post by RandyMac on Mar 31, 2009 19:35:23 GMT -5
I guess I kinda went off topic...my bad I followed... so I don't mind being blamed. It was fun though! Dan It's so rare that we go off-topic here. If you hi-jack on purpose, fly your colors.
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Post by billg on Apr 1, 2009 0:40:39 GMT -5
How many head do you run Bill? Did the premie make it? The premature calf was at least 5 weeks early. It had not formed any hair yet. It never took a breath. It has been a da'' rough winter here and the spring is no better. It is now April 1 and we are at 30 degrees and 45mph winds. Saturday night we had 5 inches of snow/ That is not normal here. Bill
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Post by lesorubcheek on Apr 1, 2009 7:33:41 GMT -5
The premature calf was at least 5 weeks early. It had not formed any hair yet. It never took a breath. It has been a da'' rough winter here and the spring is no better. It is now April 1 and we are at 30 degrees and 45mph winds. Saturday night we had 5 inches of snow/ That is not normal here. Bill Further proof of global warming.... NOT! I don't think I can ever remember any of my Dad's cows giving premature birth. More than once a cow couldn't deliver normally so the calf had to be pulled, and many times the calf would be dead, but not because it was early. Dan
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