Finally! Look Closely!

Finally, one eagle was spotted. Across the river, sitting still in a tree. As long as I stayed, he was intent on the same. And so I had to leave, and he still was there, still as a statue. I will have to settle for the mini-picture this visit.

Streaking and Soaring

Here we see a closer shot of one of the Elgin eagles streaking along the riverbank, looking for an opening for an unsuspecting fish. A bit later, one of the eagles climbs into the sky to soar high above the Fox River.

Monday's Eagles

So a second trip to the Fox River, this one on Monday, produced a bit closer of a look at some eagles in Elgin. Four eagles, as a matter of fact, were along the stretch just north of the dam, two perched in a single tree and two busy soaring.

Here we see an image of the raptor in flight, talons stretched as he looks for some dinner fish. The lower image shows a lot more color as one of the soaring eagles speed along the river bank.

We will look at a few more images in the next few posts.

Brookfield Eagle

The recently opened Bear Wilderness at the Brookfield Zoo is a wonderful, well-designed opportunity to see not only bears, but three other types of animals. The first exhibit as you enter the new area is a majestic Bald Eagle.

An injured eagle who could not survive in the wild, this eagle reminded me of Lady Baltimore, another injured survivor I saw in Juneau Alaska and depicted in this blog during February, 2009. Their size and strength is immense and impressive.

More images in upcoming posts will show the wolves and bison as well as the five bears now making their homes at the new exhibit in Brookfield.

Immies Showing Off?

As we approached an island lighthouse, which was quite interesting to see in its own right, we saw that there were dozens of eagles standing on the ground, clustered on the lighthouse itself, or walking on the beach. We had learned that all eagles in Alaska are bald eagles, but the characteristic white head does not come at birth. The immature eagles --- hence the term "immies" -- take up to three years to grow into their adulthood and their majestic look.

As we neared the island, I saw two immies on a rock and could almost hear teenagers talking. "What do you wanna do? . . . I don't know, what do you wanna do? . . . I don't know, just hang out, I guess." We have all heard the script so often. Then the talk was over, wasn't it, as one closed the discussion with "Hey, watch this . . . " I heard the captions in my mind as the shutter was clicking. And later, I was pleased to see that I had caught the tableau. It was a highlight of the day and of the trip.

After docking from Capt. Rob's wonderful tour, we headed back to Ketchikan for a surprising added bit of fun. That is for the next post.

Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles

Our arrival on Saturday in Ketchikan found a sunny sky in a town that had seen rain for several straight days. A vibrant downtown left a positive impression and we boarded a bus for a short trip up the coast to see a lighthouse, totems and some eagles. While the title sounded good, it fell far short of the wonderful adventure we were in for. At the dock we boarded a comfortable boat captained by Capt. Rob Holston, who narrated and guided us on a great morning's trip.

Yes, we saw a lighthouse. Yes, we saw totems on display in a totem park, and we were able to do so without leaving the boat. And yes, we saw eagles. Oh, did we ever see eagles. As Capt. Rob toured the route he knows so well, he showed us an abandoned logging camp built right on the water, several opulent seaside mansions, and -- count them -- 15 giant eagles nests. And on the sunkist morning, we saw at least 60 eagles, many of them sitting majestically on their aeries and others in full flight. The clatter of clicking cameras was almost constant as the eager tourists saw memorable images virtually any way they looked.

Readers of this blog over the past two weeks know that day after day we had wonderful experiences and a ton of adventure. But after we were back aboard ship, we were asked to evaluate our excursions, and Capt. Rob and his crew drew our highest rankings. It was such a wonderful morning that we will have to return to the boat on the next post. We will see the eagles who were visiting the lighthouse.

Lady Baltimore

Cruisers know that time on land is valuable, and in various locations they gravitate to an excursion that is so quick and easy to access that it gives the most enjoyment for the least expenditure of time. Many shorelines large enough for modern cruise ships are not adjoining high ridges or hills, but a few of them are. When one has a tram or sky ride, it is often anchored near the ship dock and is always worth the time it takes to grab the view. In the Caribbean, for instance, we always tram up on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands.

In Juneau, the tram is an easy walk to the ship and the skyline views -- along with the sky view of the cruise ship -- are certainly worth the ride. And in our case, as we were on the up ride, I looked down and snapped a photo of a sizable brown bear directly below us. The town to the right and the ship to the left as we looked down offered several interesting images as well. And none of those images ranks with the feature at the top of the ridge. On the way to the expected gift shop, we found Lady Baltimore.

The bald eagle is in a large cage and will spend the rest of her life there for her own protection. As the photo shows, she has been blinded in one eye but a careless hunter, who shot her, striking her in the beak. When she turns her head, viewers can see the gnarled wound, which drove her to the ground, blinding her eye and causing other injuries. She has recovered from all but the blindness, which makes her incapable of caring for herself in the wild. Now fed well and apparently comfortable as the Lady of the area and the star of the show, she strikes me as a majestic survivor. I see strength, resolution, and dedication in the powerful eagle and I wish her a long life. When I return to Alaska, as I no doubt will, I will tram up to say hello to her once again. Until then, best wishes to Lady Baltimore.

It was time to tram down, walk to the pier, and board ship. One stop left, in Ketchikan, would feature more eagles. These eagles, free and plentiful, are the stars of the next post.