Paulson's Patented Patience Powder: PPPP

 

I didn't coin the phrase, 'Paulson's Patented Patience Powder!'  Our good friend, Joseph Conrad, coined it several years ago.  Joe is a retired physical chemistry professor we met in Yellowstone.  Someone suggested ‘that couple with Oregon plates on their van’ could help him identify a plant.  We clicked and over several years spent quite a bit of time with Joe.  After hanging out with us and seeing how long we sit and patiently watch, Joe coined the term PPPP — Paulson’s Patented Patience Powder.  He figured we sprinkle ourselves with PPPP on a regular basis.    Joe used to sleep in and often snuggled in his van reading things like the "Iliad" — in Yellowstone.  No more.  When he gets to Yellowstone, he can’t wait to get out in the park, pull out his PPPP. Over the years several people, including Joe, have thanked us for opening their eyes to the value of just waiting and watching.  

 

After a disappointing summer of either too hot or too smoky we finally are getting some rain,  clean air, and a few sunny days.  Time to go out and dose ourselves with PPPP.  

 

We head out to a little reservoir near us.  It is kept full all summer for recreation, but, on or about Oct 15, the Sutherlin Water Master draws it down to mostly a mud flat with a small stream meandering through.  When we get heavy rains, the reservoir fills instead of flooding the little town of Sutherlin downriver from the reservoir.  Then the water master lets the water out gradually and waits for the next heavy rain.  We look forward to drawdown because for a month or so fish are concentrated and bring in shorebirds, great blue herons, egrets, and even a few migrating white pelicans.  The last two years haven’t had nearly as many fish because our local fish hatchery burned in the 2020 wildfire, ending the stocking of fish; but the reservoir is still somewhat of a magnet.  

 

We park on the dam, where we can get close to the water, and liberally dose ourselves with PPPP.  It is so nice sitting here.  Trees are turning gold; a few fluffs of white clouds float over distant hills; water almost a mirror.  Not a lot of ducks, but we do have a flock of Canada geese, a few herons, egrets, and half a dozen coot inspect the mud flats. We even have three white pelicans resting near the water edge.   On the other side of the reservoir, a mature bald eagle perches high in the cluster of snags.  

Nearby an immature great blue heron catches a fish .... a stab into the water, a quick gulp and down the hatch.  Two fishermen arrive.  The heron catches two more fish; the fishermen don't.  A kingfisher comes and hovers over the water below us ... but only for a moment.  His luck isn't any good either.  The pelicans have left the mud shoreline and are bathing.  Whop!  Whop!  It surprises me I can hear their heavy wings beating the water from so far away.  

 

A little more PPPP is in order. 

The fishermen give up, but our young heron is still hungry.  He grabs a fourth fish, a rather large bullhead which poses a problem.  

He turns and carries his fish to where the water is only about an inch deep; drops the fish and stabs three times.  He picks his fish up, but it is full of wiggle.  

 

This heron now holds his fish still for a moment.  Wiggle! Drat!  He drops it again and the fish does it's best to escape in the mud and very shallow water.  Easy to catch.   The heron stabs again and again.  The fish is starting to lose its wiggle.  

‘Whoosh’!  Down comes the mature bald eagle and literally scares the crap out of the heron.  Look carefully and you can see the lone string of white poop and the bullhead is in midair.

In one neat swoop, the eagle snags the muddy bullhead and flies back to the far-off snag where he had been perched.  Note the eagle's muddy feet. 

 

Slightly ruffled, the great blue heron lands nearby.  Soon he is trying for another dinner.

And so ends a good day!

 

 

Spying on Eagles

About 15 miles from where I live I can watch a bald eagle nest.  I wish it was just a little closer to the road, but it is close enough to see when the adults are home …. and with binoculars I can see a little more, like fresh sticks added to the nest last January.  When the wind is still I can just barely hear the eagles singing.  When it is windy, just their body posture tells me when they are singing.  I’ll never tire of that music. 

 

My first 'Painted Lady Beetle' and a 'Variegated Lady Beetle'

The place where we park and see the nest happens to have good ‘bugging,’ i.e. a good place to find insects and spiders, even in late winter.  Bugging was so good returned on 14 days between Jan 25 and April 9 …. And I took notes on the eagle nest between lady bugs, playing peek-a-boo with a funnel spider, and finding a pregnant cucumber beetle. 

The eagle nest is across the river and in the tallest tree

Serious watching began on February 16:

            We’re back at the bald eagle nest.  I’ve got a rotten head cold.  Sitting in the car, soaking up winter sunshine, suits me just fine.  No sign of the eagles.  I’m keeping a careful lookout for an eagle while we eat our McDonald’s filet-of-fish sandwiches. 

            Ah Ha!  An eagle stands on the nest.  I’ve wondered if I can see an eagle up there when they are incubating.  Now I know.  It is possible for the adult to disappear into the nest.

            The eagle stands and calls.  Too far for me to hear, but I know he/she is calling.  Within a minute the second adult flies in and lands on the nest.  The two are together about a minute before one, I think not the newcomer, pops over to a limb about ten feet out.  The remaining eagle at the nest starts to settle, carefully, ever so carefully onto the nest.  I see the gentle rocking as the adult lowers itself carefully down.  There must be eggs up there!

            Now I’ve been watching and sketching for over an hour and a half.  It’s been rather busy up in the nest.  Eagle comes. Eagle goes.  Eagle stands.  Eagle settles.  If I arrived right now I’d say there are no eagles in the area, but a few minutes ago I saw one disappear into a clump of Douglas firs just up river and I don’t think the nest has been empty since we arrived.

            I sit for nearly another hour.  Mostly quiet.  No sign of any eagle and I begin to wonder if there really is an eagle up there … then it stands up.  Now I’m wondering if one eagle does most of the incubating and I got to see the second come in and take over for an hour so.  Now back to the first bird ….??? It could even be that incubation had started when we were here Feb 9.  On Jan 30 and 31, I felt incubation hadn’t started. 

Feb 19:  Hard freeze last night but it is supposed to warm to 60 degrees.  Sunny.  We are ‘bugging’ again.  My cold is better and I’m getting outside.  The bald eagles have me puzzled.  I believe at least one was at the nest until 3:50 PM, then both flew off.  I watch carefully for at least ten minutes, expecting one to return.  Maybe it is warm enough to leave eggs.  Forty minutes later I don’t think either have returned.  … but I could have missed it.  When they fly in from the back of the nest, there isn’t much opportunity for me to see the eagle arrive. 

March 9:  Incubating (every so often I see a white head up there).  March 18:  Incubating.  March 19:  Incubating

March 25:  I think the eaglets have hatched.  The adults stands, fusses, appears to be feeding something hidden in the nest.  I can’t see much.  Mostly it is tantalizing.  Incubation for bald eagles is about 35 days, so if my observations have been correct, they could have hatched. 

April 3:  A friend, Bob, photographed an adult eagle flying towards the nest with a great handful of long grasses – perhaps freshening up the nest cup – or are they still nest building and I’ve been imagining everything?

April 9:  Success!  There is no doubt about it.  I can see a little eaglet head in my photo.  From my past experience with other raptors this baby is several days old.  It takes a while before they can hold their head high like that. 

Now I’m wondering how many eaglets are there?  I look forward to seeing more. 

Day Two at Yakina Head

Field Sketch of Common Murres

August 5, 2014:  Yakina Head Ourstanding Natural Area, Newport, Oregon

Sunny!  And just a breeze!  We pick up a ‘Subway,' breakfast and head out to Yakina Head to eat.  It's a much tamer day, better for drawing and photographing, yet not as exhilarating as yesterday's wind and fog.  A little of both kinds of days is perfect. 

Yesterday I settled into drawing right away.  Today it takes me a while to focus.  We watched a whale while we ate, but then he wandered off.  I grab my camera before my sketchbook.  Dale will get lots of wonderful shots of the birds, but a few specifics catch my eye -- how sturdy certain plants are here, and

I like the young gull on a nest in the lighthouse window. 

All too soon the wind is building, but still mild compared to yesterday.  I try to record the sounds, but my little ipod microphone picks up too much wind.  Ah well.  Time to grab my sketchbook.  I put my camera in the car and pick up my scope and tripod.  I really wanted to add paint to at least one drawing yesterday, but it was too damp.  Maybe now. 

Suddenly screaming gulls interrupt the normal yammer of the colony.  A bald eagle is harassing the colony!  Hundreds and hundreds of murres take to the air, along with most of the cormorants.  The murres drop off the steep cliffs and fly low over the water.  They make no attempt to harass the eagle.  Soon the ocean is spotted with hundreds of murres.  Only the youngsters are left, those too young to jump or fly.  The eagle swoops low over the island and back again.  Gulls scream and chase.  No camera!  Where is Dale? 

After half a dozen swoops the eagle drops down on the far side of the island, out of sight.  I hustle over to tell Dale what is going on and to pick up my camera.  Three fourths of the island is now bare of birds where before they were sprinkled over the entire island top.  A few are returning.  It looks as though the excitement is over so Dale wanders off again and I start painting. 

Today the overlook has lots of visitors.  August is a busy time on the Oregon Coast.  Many people come here to enjoy the lighthouse; only a few know what a common murre is.  At least some will go home impressed by what they've seen today.  Others are just surprised to have seen 'penguins' in Oregon.

It's approaching noon when Dale comes back to check on me.  Perfect timing.  The gulls start screaming again and I watch young murres scrambling from the far side of the island to the near side, towards us.  Here comes the eagle.  He rises up and creates chaos all over again.  I suspect he has been on the back side of the island for the past hour and a half, enjoying dinner and digesting.  This time he doesn't stay long. 

With gulls close behind he heads north.  The gulls give him a good dose of scolding and they return to their island.

And so ends two wonderful half days at Yakina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

On our way home we stop at the Darlingtonia Wayside, just north of Florence, Oregon. It’s a small natural area designed to protect a small bog, surrounded by forest.  There, in a soggy, sunny opening, are hundred of Pitcher plants.  They have finished flowering, but the plants are doing just fine.  I paint them and then sketch them too.