Friday, December 30, 2016

It's ALIVE ....... just barely!!

Mostly alive yesterday morning, by noon I was again camped out on the couch for the count.  I try very hard not to over-medicate myself.  Bad idea.  Take all those drugs you can so you will feel better.

There IS something to say about being so miserable you can't concentrate on television.  Instead, you can grab a nice hot cup of water (the lemon and honey are long past gone) and try to read.  Unfortunately, the brain was too muddled for that complicated past-time.  I kept reading the same page over and over.

Even my usual companion, an iPhone 6, got tossed on the table.  Sleep would have been nice, but that wasn't to be either.  At long last I picked up my phone again to see an Eagle Cam video.  In five minutes I was hooked.  In ten minutes my battery was dead.  I drug all of my blankets and supplies to the kitchen counter where I plugged in.

If you haven't seen this, it is pretty amazing.  Like watching paint dry at times, but amazing none the less.  Dick Pritchett has a live feed ... just click on his name.   There are four Eagle Cams in Southwest Florida that have been watching since 2012.  This picture is from this morning, just after M15 and Harriet traded places.  This is Dad.
Ozzie and Harriet mated for life, but Ozzie got in a fight with an owl (don't trust me here ... I'm going on the word of Facebook people) and did not survive.  Harriet flirted with many local natives before picking Male 2015 ... or M15 for short.  Now they have a nice little abode and TWO eggs, just about to hatch.  I snapped THIS picture yesterday as Harriet was turning the eggs over, which they seem to do every hour or so.  
Feeling terrible, and with nothing else to do, I sat glued to the phone.  People are monitoring these cameras day and night.  When the eagle moves, they zoom in to see as much as possible.  It was dark in Florida, but they have an infrared cameras (thus the black and white pictures).  

Although it is not visible here, as I watched in amazement, one of the eggs pipped.  In approximately 8 hours, there will be a new baby eagle in the world which everyone can watch on this live feed, if you have a couple of hours to waste.  At this particular moment, there are 46,583 people watching.  Crazy, right?  Do you think they are all sick on the couch like me?
It's hard to tell Mom and Dad apart.  If you watch on Facebook, don't pay any attention to the fighting about whether it's Mom or Dad on the nest.  Who cares?  I'm just there to see the babies.  There are also trolls around causing havoc among those who are not the most computer savvy.  Just ignore them, or better yet, go to the Pritchett website and watch there.   The Pritchett site also has sound.  Facebook does not.  

Being the good husband that he is, M15 has brought Harriet lots of food in the last couple of days.  When they switch, they usually take off and hunt.  At this point however, Harriet must be anxious about the pip, as she hasn't been going far away at all.    

They just talked to each other with a few screeches, meaning move your butt, I'm coming in.  Mom Harriett just settled in and is doing a little housecleaning.  I could watch this for days!!!  I'll be on the couch with my computer and extension cord.


10 comments:

  1. Nancy, unbelievable that you got caught up in the eagle viewing. That is in North Fort Myers, FL and about 7 miles from our house. Yesterday on the local news they showed a cockatoo watching the computer screen with her owner. They reported that some of the other viewers were also no human. It is very interesting and probably about the right level of brain exercise for your current situation.
    When we drive by the nest there are sometimes 8 to 10 cars sitting there with people using a camera, telescope or spotting lens to watch the birds. Obviously they don't see the eggs from the ground. Don't know if they know about the eagle cams. This one has been operational for at least 8 to 10 years.
    I vote for you having your physical in late October or early November to beat the flu/cold season. You have to be sneaky to avoid the crud but it sure would be worth it. I seems to hit you hard each year.
    Weather update. We hit 91 degrees two weeks ago. Has been in the mid to high 80's most of the time during the day, 7 to 10 degrees above normal. Today we have a high of 68, 77 tomorrow, and back to 84 after that. We are somewhat south of Nick and Terry so our weather is slightly warmer. Warmer is good. Chance of snow, zero.
    I hope you kick the crude soon and get ready for traveling. It's warmer where you are headed.
    Jim M

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    1. You are so lucky to be in the warm weather Jim. It's raining again here and a nice 46 on my patio. The eagles are just amazing. I could watch this stuff all day, even if I wasn't sick!! Weird it's just right down the road from you guys!!

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  2. I have to admit I can't take the credit for this but I did steal it from the Bayfield bunch
    Theres a remedy for most things in life

    1. Avoid Cutting Yourself When Slicing Vegetables By Getting Someone Else To Hold The Vegetables While You Chop.
    2. Avoid Arguments With The Females About Lifting The Toilet Seat By Using The Sink.
    3. For High Blood Pressure Sufferers: Simply Cut Yourself And Bleed For A Few Minutes, Thus Reducing The Pressure On Your Veins. Remember To Use A Timer.
    4. A Mouse Trap Placed On Top Of Your Alarm Clock Will Prevent You From Rolling Over And Going Back To Sleep After You Hit The Snooze Button.
    5. If You Have A Bad Cough, Take A Large Dose Of Laxatives. Then You'll Be Afraid To Cough.
    6. You Only Need Two Tools In Life: Wd-40 And Duct Tape. If It Doesn't Move And Should, Use The Wd-40. If It Shouldn't Move And Does, Use The Duct Tape.
    -----------------

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    1. They all sound good to me, well maybe except for the mouse trap one. I NEVER set my alarm any more!!

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  3. Difference between a male and a female bald eagle the female doesn't use the sink
    But really
    The most obvious differences between male and female Bald eagles are their size. Females are usually a third of the size larger than males. Females tend to weigh between ten to fifteen pounds more. Females will typically have a wingspan of up to eight feet.
    Here along the central Florida coast there's a large population of bald eagles as well as osprey and they're Both a noisy little bird They seem to cry 20 hours a day because I can't fly they don't get enough food The brother and sister are touching Mom-and-pop are not near him there's another predator around they want you to know that they're here they're a pain in the A
    then when they do start to fly they scream and cry even more
    But it's really fun to watch them crash land in the lake until They get the hang of fishing
    It doesn't hurt them, but maybe their pride, if it's Supper he.s after he'll learn to do it right the next time
    And yes the bald eagle is a thief with a poor reputation
    In history. Ben Franklin would've had turkey as a national bird Go figure

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    1. I had no idea there were bald eagles in Florida. He who screams loudest gets the most food I imagine!!

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  4. LOL cats is another good time waster if your condition doesn't hurt when you laugh.

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    1. It doesn't hurt Linda, but it does make me cough!! LOL

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  5. I like watching the Eagles down here in Florida...but I like watching them more up in Alaska. Of course, with the way you feel you probably wish you were in Alaska right now just to have more darkness to sleep with.

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    1. You are in the right spot for eagle watching Dave. I never knew they were around that area. Course I have to agree Alaska would be better.

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