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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2016)
20 Wednesday, August 31, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Eagles, eagles, everywhere Eagles have been a love of my life from the time I arrived in Oregon — where I discovered them being killed from 1080 poison put out by government trappers killing coyotes back in the early ’50s. Eagles are still with me today as Sue and I help to conduct a statewide sur- vey with the Oregon Eagle Foundation. Like all birders who have a special bird they enjoy and see all the time in their sub- conscious, I too see the shape and movement of eagles automatically; while driving down the road, canoeing on a lake or hiking—the shape and movements of eagles are always there. A trip to Minnesota last week awakened those senses more than once. I met my son Reuben at the MSL airport and we had a Uber van drive us to a little town just west of the airport. We picked up a four-wheel pop-up camper and headed for his home in Brainerd, Minnesota. Bright and early the next morning, I headed west. At the crossing of the Mississippi River, I met my first eagle. First, I saw the name of the river on the roadside sign, the bridge ahead, and suddenly right above it a huge, beautiful, female bald eagle com- ing toward me abut 20 feet above the bridge. “Wow!” I thought, “What a wonderful way to start the trip!” And that was the begin- ning of meeting up with eagles as I headed west. The adult male bald eagle I saw while crossing the Missouri River in Montana appeared on my right and went right over the rig while I was in the middle of the bridge. Sprinkled among the eagles on other nearby waterways were osprey of all ages, inland gulls, a white pelican or two and over the fields, a few migrat- ing Swainson hawks headed south, which added even more to the trip. The Toyota developed a serious overheating problem as we approached Billings, Montana, and I had to depart the freeway. I took the first exit immediately, and lo and behold there was a firehall with two guys working on some equipment out in the yard. When I pulled up they immediately checked me to be sure I was OK, then they saw my engine problem. While waiting for everything to cool down, I checked for external leaks and found everything tight as it should be, and when all was cooled off the fireman gave me water to recharge everything and I drove into Billings to spend the night. There were no water puddles under the rig in the morning, so I fired it up and got onto the freeway again, heading west. About 40 miles east of Billings the temperature gauge began climbing, and by the time I arrived at the exit to the little town of Columbus I had to make a choice. I chose to go back to Billings, as Columbus didn’t look as though it would have a shop that would solve my problem. I took the exit and when traffic allowed I took the left turn under the free- way and was about to turn left back onto the freeway, when out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw an eagle — and as a result, missed the turn back onto the freeway. Honest! Having no other choice Quilt Drawing photo by Jim anderson Adult bald eagle looking over the countryside. but to continue into Columbus I began looking for a shop. That little adven- ture tuned out to be even more fun when the mechanic discovered the water-pump belt (which could only be observed from under the vehicle) was nothing but black pieces of spaghetti. A fix at a reasonable price later, I was rolling back onto the freeway. The many crossings of the Clark Fork in Montana were also eagle moments. The first time I crossed it — now that eagle sightings were in my subconscious — things were different, I actu- ally slowed down expecting an eagle to appear. See EAGlES on page 24 MEATS • CHEESES • EATERY • DRINKERY 110 S. SPRUCE ST. | 541-719-1186 OPEN EVERY DAY 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. HURRY, raffl e ends Sept. 5th! for FURRY FRIEND S 501 ( c )( 3 ) FOUNDATION 100% of the proceeds go to Furry Friends Foundation. “Friends of Furry Friends” quilt was pieced by Valerie Fercho-Tillery. The bold colors and incredible detail make this a spectacular quilt. The quilt is currently on display at The Nugget offi ce, 442 E. Main Ave. Bring your pup by for a dog cookie and have a look! Tickets may be purchased at The Nugget offi ce or online at our website www.furryfriendsfoundation.org. Tickets are $1 each, six for $5 or go for it, 25 for $20. Info: 541-549-9941 “Friends of Furry Friends” - by Valerie Fercho-Tillery (46"w x 59"h)