A Backyard Golden Eagle in Buffalo County Wisconsin

Golden Eagle - Buffalo County, Wisconsin

With the thermometer pushing 50º F this morning and all the reports of migrating waterfowl, songbirds and raptors, I decided to head down to Tell Lake near Alma, Wisconsin to look for ducks in the backwaters of the Buffalo River.  Instead of turning on State Road 25, I decided to take the "scenic route," County K.   That's when I spotted an odd looking eagle, chased up from the Misha Mokwa Creek behind my house by a pair of crows. At first I thought it might be a Turkey Vulture.  Then it hit me:  it's a Golden Eagle!

Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle

Tom and I watched as it flew over the coulees, leaving the crows behind as it caught up with a Red-tailed Hawk floating on a thermal.   The golden was so fast, it disappeared before I could get a good picture.  Undaunted, I headed towards the coulees in pursuit.  Zoom Zoom. 

We never caught up with that eagle, but we did spot dozens of Bald Eagles on Co. V, hopping from thermal to thermal as they headed north.  We headed down Lindstrom Valley Road and back to County K.  At the turn to Little Bear Creek Road, we spotted a kestrel and another raptor, floating just above the road:  our FOY (first of the year) Harrier.  And right before our eyes, he caught a rodent.

Harrier catches a rodent

male Harrier

We continued on our way, through the coulees on County II.  The skies were full of raptors - Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and another big surprise:  a Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on a utility wire.

Red-shouldered Hawk

This is one of the best looks at a Red-shouldered Hawk I've had in Buffalo County.   But it wouldn't look at me.  The bird sat on the wire for 5 minutes.  We had our eyes on it - and it had its eye on whatever was flying overhead.

Red-shouldered Hawk on Buffalo Co. I

No frogs, chimpmunks or voles in sight, it took off.  Then we took off.  More red-tails, Wild Turkeys in the cornfields, White-tailed Deer everywhere.

When we arrived at the Buffalo River, I rolled down my window.  Honk, Honk.  Canada Geese overhead.

Then we heard bugling of Sandhill Cranes!

Sandhill Cranes on the Buffalo River

Canada Geese & Sandhill Crane Family at Tell Farm

And the muted whistling of Tundra Swans!  Spring is here - finally.

Golden Eagles Redux

There was no action at my bird feeders this morning.   Not a bird in sight.  Okay, I thought, maybe the shrike is back, or there's an accipiter on the roof.  

I'd promised to make French toast for breakfast, so I turned my focus to the empty frying pan on the stove.  Eggs, toast and cinnamon, then the coffee grinder.  As I brought breakfast to the table, Tom whispered - stop!  stand still!  look at the feeders!

I stopped and looked at the window, then slowly, very slowly, grabbed my camera.  Yep... this Sharp-shinned Hawk was at my birdfeeders.

He took off and perched in the maple west of the house.  I tip-toed out the back door and circled around the house, hoping to come up behind him.  No such luck.   He saw me coming and flew off to the trees down by Misha Mokwa Creek. 

I took this as an omen.  I had to go out and look for a Golden Eagle.  Tom agreed.  So off we went.

I had stopped to look at one of several flocks of Horned Larks along the roadside.  When I got to the point where I violated their interpersonal distance, they flew.  Then I looked up.  There it was - soaring just above the hills to the east.  When it banked and zoomed towards us, its slightly dihedral wings made me pause.  

I grabbed my binoculars, noted the white patches on the wings and tail.  No doubt about it - a Golden Eagle.   I hopped out of the Prius and aimed my camera.  Snap.  In seconds it was gone, heading towards the Maxville School on State Road 25 - just a mile north of my house.

I got back in car and we continued looking for Bald Eagles and deer carcasses.  We didn't find any. However, we did get an unusually close look at a Black-capped Chickadee.  It was sitting in the middle of County V.  How close could we get in the stealth Prius?

 

I pulled up right next to it, got out of the car and walked right over to it, bird-whispering all the way.  Eyes closed, it seemed the bird was sitting on the road, sunbathing, soaking-up the rays.  But it was odd.  As I knelt down to pick it up, it let out a startled "chick-a-dee-dee-dee," and flew away.  

That's when I realized what was wrong with this picture.  The chickadee left behind a relatively large pile of guano - unnaturally pink and watery.  It might have been hit by a car - or maybe it picked up salmonella at the feeders just down the road (they looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in years).