10 days to go….

With 10 days to go to Eagle Festival, the biggest change has been the weather – the sun was shining today!

the water levels haven’t really budged at all….the path is still underwater and I understand that even if it was dry, access to the park has been blocked once again.

There was a good scattering of Bald Eagles out there today, where ever there is a bit of slightly dry ground…there was an eagle…also lots and lots of gulls..

a lot of Common Mergansers out there today, along with the usual Mallard and American Wigeon…a small flock of I think, Hooded Merganser flew over as well.

This tour boat from Harrison Hot Springs was out on the river this afternoon…I had actually been asked this morning if the tour boats had a negative effect on the birds…and I responded that to my, admittedly limited knowledge, they didn’t seem to bother the birds at all.  The birds are used to boats going up and down the river…just like when you see birds perched on wires and fences along a highway, as long as the traffic flows by, the birds show no concern – on a highway, it is only when a car slows down and stops that the bird becomes upset and leaves.  Likewise, on a body of water, It is only when boats such as canoes and kayaks start creeping in ‘to get closer’ that the birds get upset…for one thing such ‘creeping’ is predatory in nature. It also invades the birds personal space….each species is tolerant of approach to a certain degree, but crossing that invisible line causes stress to the bird and causes them to take off.