Golden Eagle Nest Work

I just got back from a week of working with WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife. The work was some of the more interesting that I have done this summer. I spent the week collecting prey remains from from golden eagle nests in an attempt to identify what the eagles are eating. Eagles will put their nests on cliff faces often in caves to protect them from the weather. Getting to many of these nests was pretty challenging and each presented a unique problem. Some nests have no overhead anchors and very loose rock making for difficult climbing conditions. Once at each nest I would collect any pellets and any remains of prey that were in the nest.

Me sitting in a particularly challenging nest.

I found all sorts of animal parts in the nests including deer faun legs, coyote skulls, lots of marmot skulls, game bird legs, raptor skull, and snake parts. From a non-biologist perspective it appears that eagles will eat anything available and are pretty good hunters.

One of the last nests we did still had a chick in it. Soon after this photo was shot the bird fledged and made a remarkably graceful first flight out of the nest and down to the valley below.


The bird was captured, banded and fitted with a GPS tracking device.

Banding the bird. This is the business end of an eagle. The talons are the main danger in dealing with eagles.

Adding the band.

The eagle with the GPS tracker.

And a couple of eagle portraits.


The eagle then had to be returned to the nest. This involved wading across a creek, hiking up a hill, climbing down to the nest and putting the bird in.

In this photo I am standing in the nest so I can put the bird back. After grabbing the bird I put it in the nest and quickly climbed out. The bird stayed and we left. (WDFW photo)

Wildlife from the last few days.

More out of luck than any other reason, I have run into lots of wildlife in the last week or so. I am currently in Eastern Washington doing some work with WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife on golden eagle nests. Although I have not yet run into a golden eagle, I have seen a few other pretty interesting things. Here are some photos.

I am not sure what type of bat this is, but my guess right now is a Townsends Long Eared.

We estimated there were around 100 bats in the cave.

California Quail

Hummingbird Nest

Mountain Chickadee

Red Squirrel.

I am still trying to get a photo of a bushy tailed wood rat, but I cant get him out of the engine to get a photo.

Baker 6 Day Course

Here are some photos from a recent trip to Mt. Baker. This was an enjoyable trip despite the weather. It was certainly a memorable one due to reaching the summit in the worst weather I have ever been on the summit in.

Ed practicing his ice climbing.
Iryna practicing hers.
A group heading down from the summit. This weather did not last long.
Our camp.

Ed and Iryna.
Iryna taking advantage of the short stint on good weather.
Iryna.
Dana practicing self arrest.
Ed getting over his fear of heights.
Dana and Lincoln Peak.
Heading to the summit.
On the summit in crappy weather.
Oh look at the wonderful view!

Mt. Rainier Kautz Glacier Climb

I am way behind on posting photos from the trips I have done lately, so hopefully I will have a bunch of posts in the next week or so. I will start with my latest trip since it has the fewest photos to sort through.

A Mt. Rainier greeting agent. Much more friendly than the Rangers. Actually the rangers were great! Not like North Cascades National Park.

Here is a panorama from our camp. Mt. St. Helens in the distance.
Crossing the Nisqualy Glacier.

Justin, Kate, and Liz.

Another guide services camp below us.

Scott near the summit.

Scott at the summit.

Liz with about ten steps to go.

Fist Bump!

The rappel down the Kautz Ice Chute.

Kate back at camp.

Heading out in less than perfect weather.

A panorama of the entire Muir Snowfield.