Eagles, ospreys, geese, oh my

Oh, what a sight, the osprey chasing that eagle away from her nest, on the tower that towers across the channel from downtown La Conner. I saw the scene on Sunday at 1:18 p.m., when I had come to a stop in the tricky spot next to the Calico Cupboard. That eagle had quite the evasive maneuvers, but that osprey was persistent, driving it lower and lower, until the eagle was forced to land on a piling near the boats by the Swinomish Shellfish Company. Olivia osprey was as happy as a clam at high tide, as she flew back to her nest like she was ready to lay an egg! I’m only guessing, but that’s about all most of us humans can do.

It was interesting that before more than a minute had passed, that eagle had spied a piece of salmon carcass next to the fisherman’s fleet of moored boats. He had been chased to a sweet spot, mmm … salmon carcass, what a treat!

Now the turkey vultures have arrived, riding the thermals like the eagles way up high, to tell the difference you have to have a trained eye, or some powerful binoculars, or both. There were still two to three thousand snow geese here yesterday, the 16th. They were mostly up near Edison, but a few were up near Channel Drive, just north of town.

I’ve been hearing quite a few cackler geese migrating north.

They spent a couple of weeks here in October, on their way south to the Sacramento rice fields.

When I was a kid, they were seldom here for more than a day or two and were in small flocks.

Last fall, nearly 10,000 helped eat a whole lot of corn and other grains here, before heading south.

The birds of the Skagit could keep a tourist busy.

Bob Hamblin, myself and a handful of others keep our eyes to the sky, fields, trees and shore, suddenly seeing something special, what a score! I’ve seen scenes that probably only I have ever seen.

I’m certain that Bob has seen far more single sighter scenes than anyone since Audubon himself, what a gift to our community.

Hooray for the return of the osprey, a true harbinger of spring. Of course, Nancy Crowell has photographed fantastic fowl scenes. What she won’t do to get a dynamite shot is beyond me.

Sincerely,

Glen S. Johnson

Skagit Valley