Eagles - 2006
Photography by Eric Bloemker
©2006 All Rights Reserved
©2006 All Rights Reserved
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| Date | Samples - click Date for more |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2006 |
No 2006 pics uploaded yet. I'm finishing up last year's pages first. This is not just eagles, but
also hellbenders at the STL Zoo, jellyfish at the FWA Zoo, trips to the World Bird Sanctuary, Wild Canid
Sanctuary, TreeHouse wildlife rescue (and eagle release), Forest Park Balloon Glow, plus spiders,
bugs, and other critters. The bad news is that with the mild winter we experienced, the number of eagles from the north was much lower than normal. There is good news! The nesting pair of eagles in Alton are back, and last year's babies have been seen. I saw the adults mating on New Year's Day, and other eagle watchers saw them mating on many other days as well. Since the nest is never left unattended for more than a couple of minutes, we believe the behaviors indicate there must be egg(s) in the nest. I do not know when the chicks might appear, nor how many. I'm guessing they are about a week ahead of last year, so end of March-start of April is the best guess. That is when I'll be on the levee. Other nests in the area have activity that I've witnessed - O'Fallon, MO; West Alton, MO; and Annanda, MO. |
| 1 April 2006 |
A small black beak was possibly spotted last Sunday, 3/26/06, but I didn't get a picture of anything like a beak. On 3/29/06, I definitely saw an eaglet. On 4/1/06, I got a good look.  Here's a KMOV TV spot, and an Alton Telegraph article was published on 3/30/06. |
| Aril 2006 | With sadness, a wild fire in the Clearance Cannon National Wildlife Refuge forced the nesting adult eagles to abandon their nest. Any chick(s)/egg(s) left in the nest could not have survived the smoke and the cold weather for very long. The adult pair almost immediately started building a new nest. But the nesting site is not accessible to the public, not even from a good distance. |
| 29 April 2006 | The Wings of Spring Confluence Birding Festival has invited me to exhibit some photographs at the National Great Rivers Museum adjoined to the Melvin Price Locks and Dam #26 in Alton, IL. |
| 14 May 2006 | With great sadness, nature showed how it works in ways we never fully understand. A raccoon was reported to have climbed the Alton eagle nest tree and attacked the baby eagle. The attempt of its parent to save the baby failed. |
| Sunday, 25 June 2006 | 2005 - 2006 NATIONAL GREAT RIVERS MUSEUM EVENTS - For June 25 at 2:00-4:00 p.m., the National Great Rivers Museum asked me to present an Outdoor Photography Class. I'm a believer in there's no wrong way to have fun, but if you'd like to learn more about my tricks and methods for capturing images, you are invited to attend. This is a free event. Bring your camera. I hope we have good weather to spend some of the time outside as a group taking pictures for hands-on experiences. You can call the Museum for reservations or show up that day. We'll pack whomever wants to attend in the room. |
| tick, tick, tick | Where are the 2006 updates? Good question. Here's my bad answer. Been too busy. |
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