National Audubon Society Scientists at My Preserve

Yours truly, second from right

Inexplicably, the National Audubon Society's Science Office is located in a nondescript office park a few miles from my preserve.  Despite its proximity, our preserve has no dealings with the folks in the Science Office.  However, several top ornithologists in the Science Office were in town for a meeting and asked the president of the local Audubon chapter for a good place to bird while they were here.  Naturally, the chapter president recommended my preserve.  Since some participants were from parts of the country where meadow-nesting Bobolinks do not occur, the ornithologists and I set off on Tuesday morning to try our luck in our native grasslands, but the birds, here last week, had moved on to locations further north.  Warblers were still abundant, though, and these professional ornithologists left satisfied. 

(Bald) eagle watch (me again)

After the group finished walking, the president of the Audubon chapter and I repositioned ourselves with his telescope to try to see the Bald Eagle nest in the preserve.  We saw at least one eaglet in the nest.  There may have been two eaglets, but the nest was partially obscured by deciduous branches, so we couldn't be sure how many birds were present.  Neither of the parent birds was in evidence; the parents must have determined that the young had grown large enough not to be threatened by predators, so both could leave the nest to seek food.