We spent today with my folks at the family farm, delivering wine and tech support for a cranky Linksys router. Upon arrival, we were startled to see some rather large raptors winging their way overhead. Apparently, with the removal of the dams on the Baraboo River, fish have been able to move more easily up the river. The bald eagle population has taken notice of this, and to date, about 85 of the majestic birds have taken up stations where the fast-moving water of the Baraboo River prevents ice from forming. (The river drops nearly 40 feet in elevation from behind my parents' farm to the Circus World Museum just a couple miles downstream)
We drove along the river towards Portage to get a better idea of the invasion, and we saw several of these big birds, both juveniles and adults, making the best of the fishing. One juvenile was down on the icy banks working over a gizzard shad he had just caught, when a fox rushed him - ostensibly to steal the catch. Suffice it to say, the young eagle simply took to the air with his meal, leaving the fox with nothing for his efforts but an eagle-generated breeze. Impressive, and I'm going back with my "serious" camera next weekend to get more pics.
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