I left shortly after sunrise on a recent overcast morning to check on a local eagle nest. Last year was the first year for this nest and it was a success but this year I have been concerned about the lack of activity of the adult birds around the nest. Last year they were heavily reworking the nest by January but this year the activity hasn’t been there. Did avian flu hit this pair of eagles, did they get lead poisoning or were they just late getting started? My hope on this particular morning was that they would be on site.
Traveling on Route 31 I spotted a turkey near the road going into someone’s driveway. Wild turkeys are not always easy to photograph as they are very shy and have terrific eyes. I turned my vehicle around and went back to the area where I saw the bird. It was still near the road and headed across the front lawn by a house. The shoulders of the road had been plowed back far enough that I could get off the road so I stopped and grabbed my camera hoping to get a few shots before she ran off. Much to my surprise she turned around and headed towards me, actually crossing the road to get to me. Either she likes Subarus or she fell in love with me at first sight.
This road is heavily traveled, especially in the early morning, and now my concern was for her safety. I had my four-way flashers on and folks were slowing down, being careful not to hit her as she stood out on the road admiring her new true love. She eventually moved off the road and over to the passenger side of my vehicle but stayed right next to me. I got some nice, close images but decided to leave before she caused a real traffic problem.
As I pulled out slowly and stayed on the side of the road when no traffic was coming, I saw her in my side view mirror chasing after me. Each time I spotted another vehicle moving toward us I stopped my vehicle, and she stopped too. When the coast was clear I headed down the road and, darn, she was right on my tail!
There was a side road about a quarter-mile ahead and my thought was to slowly lead her down to it and possibly get her across Route 31 to this less traveled road.
I don’t know why she was doing this and thought maybe she had been hand raised by someone in the area and was accustomed to humans, or maybe she just wasn’t “all there”. Well, we made it to that side road but now I had to see if she could be led across to it without getting hit. I stopped and watched for a break in the traffic, and she waited with me, but moved around my car staring at it. Maybe she saw her reflection on the side of the car. She actually got so close to the passenger side window that I could only see her head and neck. Was she looking for a ride?
Eventually there was a good break in the traffic and I pulled over to that side road with her in tow. The west side of the road had a mountain of snow pushed back along it and so we headed a few hundred yards down to get safely away from that main road. Then I took the time to see if she would pose for me, and she did, as she checked out my vehicle from all sides. She even got up on the side of a high snow pile and posed nicely. Periodically she moved out onto the center of the road, and the few vehicles that came down the road saw my four-ways and her and so there was no problem. At one point she stood close to the front of my car and so I slowly got out and leaned over the hood to get some great head shots.
After our photo session I decided to lead her much farther down that road for her safety and of course she tagged along. About three-quarters of a mile down the road I spotted a barn with some fenced-in cattle. My hope was she would remain there with those animals as I sped away. Another few miles down the road I turned around to head back and see if she had done what I hoped she would.
I spotted her not around the barn but instead way out in an open field across the way, headed away from the road. I was relieved, and hopeful she’d stay away from the roads after that.
Why she was fascinated by my vehicle, following it for 1 mile altogether, and then leaving the road after I sped away, is a mystery. Maybe she was just lonely, or she fell out of love with me when I left her at the side of the road.
Later I checked that eagle nest and didn’t see any eagles, so my concern about that remains. However, I got another unexpected photo adventure that made getting out of bed early well worth it.