White Christmas in the Quad Cities for sure

All of the pictures can be clicked on to enlarge




It is snowing very hard as this eagle approaches. I am putting my cam away and going home LOL


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Sending all my Fine Friends of the Finest Feathers

Wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Eaglecam Updates and special eagles around the country.

Click to see this photo larger I think its awesome. It sort of actually gives me chills to see all that is represented here.

Whats happening in Maine? click here

Norfolk back online Dec 15...Don't miss this awesome camera.

Update Dec 15 pm. Technical glitch so now a few days delay.



NCTC had a little problem with an eagle drying out its wings on the cam limb area and loosening some duct tape. A special visit was made back to the tree on Sat to remove the duct tape, reposition the cam once more which is now at an aswesome angle and the Eagle Cam is now secured with Gorilla tape. Since I was at work while this was happening and watching I was unable to capture any photos to share. As always as the new season kicks off we wish every pair a successful and healthy eagle season.

2009 Eagle Season is well underway already

Lets see. Remember all of the eaglecams are linked on the side of the BLOG. Over the next week or so I will need to delete a few that are no longer online; change a link or two for some who have updated their cams and add a new cam or two.

Please advise me of any broken links or new cams if they are not posted there, or are needing revised or deleted. I would be so grateful for your help with this.

This is what I know so far.

Cape Coral
New Link

Blackwater cam went live on Dec 3. There is no change in that
link.


California has a new cam site

Turtle Bay in Redding CA
You will need the latest version of Quicktime to watch this cam however

IWS out of California
has done a lot of changes with their cams with most likely more
to come. You access all their cams same as last year. Good
News for many is No Neokast this year.

Fort St Vrain
May have sound this year. They still have a few things to work
out before actually comin gonline so stay tuned.

No news on Libby or Oklahoma that I can find yet.

Maine
is very regularly seeing eagles on the nest; including
that continued drama with the intruder. There was a fun visit
last week with an eagle and a raven.

Click here to enjoy a fairly long video of very unusual situation


Norfolk
Next wednesday the plans are to move the cam back to the old
nest site where it appears the pair has chosen to nest this
year. For many of us this is great news.

NCTC
Has a new set up which should be lots of fun this year and it is also scheduled for some additional tweaking next Monday.

Oregon has a beautiful eagles nest with snow in it. Now there's

a surprise.

Washington Eaglecam
has had visitors twice this week

Update on the Travels of Tess/Birdie

What an adventure she has had

We surely will miss following this nest this year .

A Traveling Eagle visit from Wray

The IWS forum has several Traveling Eagles winging their way literally around the world. Well Wray found her way to my house and I have so enjoyed her visit.


I hope you do not mind if the song in the Video playes over and over like 4 times. Smilebox gives no option to change tunes and well the song is so fitting for the occasion so I have left it. Just mute your speakers if you get sick of it. Otherwise listen, enjoy and singalong as you will know the song for sure by the end. LOL



Of all the places to go and things to do however here is my favorite spot in the Quad Cities for year run beauty in sight and sound.

Sunset Marina Overlook.

8 Eagles Honor Fallen Servicemen

I have removed the video so that the blog page loads easier. If you did not hear of this wonderful tribute follow the link to read the story.

CLICK HERE And don't forget to say Thank You today and always as your life crosses paths with those who gave and continue to give.

Just Awesome

Click here to see One more Hoo Haven awesome page. Can you see the relationship between this eagle and her caretaker. It is awesome to behold and gives me chills as I type it.

I have met both although not Ruffles quite as closely as Karen LOL.

So as this year comes to a close and the holidays are upon us I thought perhaps I would give you one more chance to perhaps look at and perhaps consider a gift from this gorgeous photography from Stan Bousson the photographer that I met at the Eagle Release in August. His photos can be seen here

He has photography of all types however my guess is many of you who come here will totally enjoy many of his Eagle photos. You will see them under the birds album at his site. He has shared this pricing information with us.

8X10 $20
8X12 $25
11X14 $45
11X17 $50
13X19 $60

Those are the general prices. A really special picture may have $5 added to it.
Shipping and handling,
8X10/12 $5
11X14/17 $7
13X19 $10

Stan says to feel free to
email your questions or orders to him at

sjbousson@mchsi.com

If you could say you were referred to his work from For the Love of Eagles by Glo that would be great too.

Thanks

Glo

New Photo diary Blog

With the start of a New Eagle Season online and the coming of eagles to my area as well I decided to have a seperate place to keep a photo diary as I enjoy my camera and I enjoy even more having someone to share photos with. They won't all be of my grandkids :)

I will not post pictures here now from my personal camera. I will save the For the Love of Eagles Blog for the Eagle Cams that many of you watch and enjoy online.

All of my photos including my eagle photos will go into my photo diary called Glo's Glimpses located here.

I would love to have you see and enjoy the photos. Any of them you are welcome to have. Since I save to Flickr there is always a choice as to the size you want to download.

Please take a look and consider subscribing to the feed off of that site. You will see the sign up place at the top right of the Blog.

Nestorations Coast to Coast

A Pelican Convention LOL

Click each photo to see larger image

Eagle Fix at NCTC

NCTC's live cam is currently online. Here is some video captured on Oct 2.

Gorgeous fly in late afternoon Oct 3

A Place Dear to My Heart

Tomorrow Oct 1 I plan to make a trip to Hoo Haven. This is the place from which Ruffles...or actually Ruffles the second :) was rehabilitated and released back to his home nest area in August..

Click here for an update on Ruffles Jr. from the main Hoo Haven Website

Also be sure to read the story of Lauren Townsend Memorial on that website. I too had been prompted to watch that movie. I do find that awesomely strange and awe inspiring as most folks know I really do not watch all that much TV. I had no idea I would find reference to the story this morning as I was reading Hoo Havens home page as I prepare my trunk for the donations I will bring to this special place.

Hoo Haven like all of us finds its budget somewhat stressed. These animals are all very well cared for but they will need more folks to donate what they can to keep them fed. Would you consider making a donation to them perhaps for Christmas. Clicking here or on the above link to their website to see some donation options.

I hope you will enjoy the Hoo Haven Video. Double Clicking on the lower right of the video on the word You Tube will open it into You Tube. There you will be able to expand it and watch the Full Screen video.

What A Difference A Week Makes

So whats for lunch?

What do you think happened next?
click on photo to see larger image.

Baby Atlanta aka "Little Looney"

The baby was born on Saturday August 30 at 10:10 pm.

Monday, September 1, 6:30 PMBased upon the behavior of giant panda Lun Lun and her new born cub, Zoo Atlanta's colleague from China and the Zoo's Animal Management and Veterinary Teams jointly decided to place the new-born cub in an incubator for closer monitoring and observation.

Tuesday, September 2, 5:00 PMAfter almost nineteen hours of separation from mom, the giant panda cub born on Saturday at Zoo Atlanta was successfully reintroduced to Lun Lun at approximately 1:10 this afternoon. The reintroduction coincided with the cub’s scheduled feeding, and was chosen so that the cub would show the strongest possible nursing response.

Wednesday, September 3, 8:00 AMFollowing nineteen hours of hand-rearing and subsequent reintroduction yesterday afternoon, both cub and Lun Lun are doing remarkably well. Lun Lun is demonstrating excellent maternal behavior.

Sunday, September 7Lun Lun and her cub continue to do well. Lun Lun ate quite a bit during the cub’s 11:00 pm weight check last night. At that check the cub weighed 186.6 grams, which means that he gained a little over 15 grams since his last check at 2:30 the previous afternoon. We are all very pleased by this huge gain for our little guy!

Friday, September 12Lun Lun’s newest cub continues to do well. His prognosis has been upgraded from “guarded” to “good”. When the cub had to be placed in an incubator a week ago Monday, his body temperature and blood sugar levels were low. The cub responded well to supportive care, and has done even better back with Lun Lun. Based on several laboratory tests, we suspect Lun Lun may have been suffering from mild mastitis, an infection and/or inflammation of the mammary glands. This may have led to mild discomfort that resulted in her not attending to the cub just enough to result in the decrease in body temperature at that early age. Both Lun Lun and the cub were placed on a course of antibiotics because of these suspicions, and they have responded well to the treatment.

Tuesday, September 16At 10 o’clock this morning, interested panda aficionados will be able to once again partake in PandaCam broadcasts!

Lun Lun and cub go about their daily life together, completely oblivious to the schedules, task assignments, meetings and discussions, or the number of team members involved in their care. And, in spite of the cameras, lights, noise and periodic checks by staff, the cub and Lun Lun thrive.

The cub is taking on the plump panda features that make this species irresistible to so many. His once lanky arms and legs are filling out and his earlier uncoordinated movements are becoming more purposeful and controlled.

At this morning’s check, the cub weighed 444.4 grams.
Debbie Forde
Curatorial Assistant

To see more detailed info and follow the regular cub updates click here

How Old/Young is your brain

Well you will either love or hate your answer for this one but here ya go...Click the link to The Brain Game

The Brain Game

Touch start

Wait for 3 2 1

Memorize "very quickly" the number position: Then click the circle from the smallest number to the biggest number.
At the end of the game the computer will tell you how old your brain is.

Good Luck

This picture needs no words

A Tour of LST 325

Friday the LST 325 pulled into dock on the Mississippi in Moline Illinois. It was an honor to meet 4 of its original crew members and Captain Jornlin who sailed it home to the USA. These men had an overwhelming job and an even more overwhelming journey when they finally readied the ship to come home.

I think there comes a time in our lives when we have a passion or dream for something and are willing to go to extra ordinary lengths to fulfil that dream. Well a plaque leading onto the gang plank sums up very well what I am trying to say to intrduce this Ship and its crew to you.



Below is Captain Jornlin and the story in his words.


I became involved with the U.S. LST Association (a group of approximately 10,000 veterans who served on LSTs during the wars in which the U.S. participated).

We were trying to find an LST (Landing Ship Tank) World War II ship so that people in the U.S. could go to see as a museum. We found out that there weren't any. The U.S. Government had given them all away, or sold or scrapped them.

We started looking in foreign countries to which the U.S. Government had given the ships. Taiwan had 23, Brazil had a couple, and Mexico and the Philippines had some. We never thought about Greece, but they had 6 or 7. We went to Taiwan in 1990, but that did not work out. Then, in 1995, one of our crewmen by the name of Ed Strobel visited some friends in Greece. They have a program in Greece, a treaty with other Mediterranean countries, that they can only have so many ships. If they built one or got another one, then they had to take some out of commission to keep the numbers the same.

The Greek Government said they were going to take the old LSTs the U.S. had given them after the war and moth-ball them. Ed said that he was a member of a group that would like to have one, and asked if we could have one. His friend said he would look into it. After a while, the Greek officials said that they would be glad to give the LST Memorial a ship for a museum, as long as our Government said it was O.K. In 1999, the U.S. approved it.

Some members of the LST Association went over to Crete in March, 2000 and looked at the ships. The Syros L-144 (the name the Greek Government gave the LST) was the one we chose because it had been dry docked in December of 1999, and came out of dry dock in January of 2000. There had been a lot of work done on it, and the hull seemed to be the best of all of them. Cosmetically, on top, it was not the best, but we were looking for the best hull. Things were stalled until July of 2000, and then we went back over to Crete.

They had continued to take parts off the ship, so we had a ship that was not in as good shape as we had hoped it would be, and was not ready to sail as quickly as we thought it would be. It took about three and one-half months to get that ship back in shape and ready to go. Everyone chosen for the crew had to take a refresher test on basic information, seamanship, first aid, fire fighting ... most of the things needed to be a member of this crew. We also had to take a CDL (commercial drivers license) physical. I had a couple of guys who had taken that test in 1995, and then neglected to do it within six months of their going over to Greece.

So, we had some guys who were not in the best of health, and should not have gone.
Everyone had to come up with $2,100.00 to pay their own airfare. We had donations to the LST Memorial, but at that time, we did not have very many. The requirement was that you pay for your own flight and come up with the $2,100.00 to pay for fuel and food.

British Petroleum Oil Company donated 50,000 gallons of fuel for the voyage from Greece to the U.S., which really saved us. There were 72 guys on the crew list, but only 61 or 62 went over to Greece, and quite a few of them did not stay. Some left after two weeks. There was lots of paper work to complete and they had to give Power of Attorney on health care to a ship's officer so that in case something happened, we could make a decision. We sent several men home because of health reasons. One died of a heart attack at JFK Airport on his way back home. He had previously had two heart attacks and should not have gone on the trip, but he wanted to do it so much. I talked some guys out of going over to Greece who were having trouble breathing. I told them, if you are having trouble breathing here, going
over there with the l00-degree temperatures would be crazy. Some of the men who went over ended up in the hospital. The doctor told me that I should send them
home, and I did.

A lot of the original men who went over to Greece thought it was going to be like a Caribbean cruise. In WWII, they had been on a new LST, and this ship was far from new, and they had forgotten how uncomfortable those ships were. When we did not sail immediately, they went home. I would get replacements, and they would ask when we were leaving. I told them maybe in two weeks or a month. If the sailing time went a couple of days beyond what I said, some would go home.

The final crew consisted of 28 dedicated men. The 29th man was a photographer I took on at the last minute, because he wanted to go and I was short of help. He was about 40 years old, from Up-State New York, and worked for National Audio Video, who was doing a documentary for us. I told him "No" three times. Then I started thinking about it. I did not particularly want camera people taking pictures of
everything we did. We had enough problems getting things done without someone in our way, but we needed help. He paid his money, stood watch for us, and took
pictures on his own time. He was really good about it. I told him he could not get in anyone's way, and that he couldn't take any bad pictures of the Captain!

I did not go over to Greece until August 28, 2000, arriving in Crete on August 30. Before I left the U.S., I called over there and the guy who was in charge told me that the ship was 80% ready to go and that we would sail in six days. He told me to bring the rest of the crew. I had planned to bring another 30 guys, but actually, 28 went with me. The ship actually was about 1% completed ... certainly not 80%!

The American Embassy in Greece called me in for a conference as soon as I arrived, and told me that if I did not send the guy who was then in charge of the LST project back to the U.S., they were going to pull their support. He had ruffled a lot of feathers. I had a hard task, and did not look forward to this, but the man in question made it easy for me. I went to him on that first day of my arrival and said "You know, you are ruffling everybody's feathers and they are kind of mad at you. You have got to let me handle the men and the Greeks and the Navy and State
Department. You can do what you do best, and that is to repair the engines and get things ready to run." He said, "Well, we'll try it." The next day, the Navy guys from the U.S. Navy Base at Souda in Crete were on board the LST, and they had put
a reefer in the wrong place. The guy who was originally in charge came and told me that it had to be moved to a different location, and that if it was not done immediately, he was going to walk. I said "I am not going to ask these Navy guys, who had worked very hard as volunteers to get this thing where they had put it, to move it. Let them go back to their base, and the crew and I will get it moved after they leave." He said, "Nope, they gotta do it right now, or I am leaving." I said, "Well, it is not going to get done right now." So, he packed his bag and left, and nobody shook his hand or said goodbye to him ... that is how mad they were at him.

The crew was great. They were the ones responsible for the success of this project. They made my job so easy that I almost felt bad having it. I joked and
said that I couldn't do anything, so they made me Captain. I had a lot of talent on that ship. About one half of them were WWII veterans, and the other half were veterans from the Korean Conflict. I had an electrician who had worked all his life in the electrical business. I had an engineman who had a very successful company that manufactured overhead doors for semis, and one guy who worked for Libby-Owen, making windshields for 43 years. All of the guys on my crew were experienced and successful. Guess they had to be to afford the $2,100.00 airfare, and then they had to pay their own expenses for all that time over in Greece. We had two meals on the
ship, but if they went ashore and bought a meal or a beer, it was their own expense. Before the ship was ready for us to get on, the crew had to buy all their
meals.

After the months of getting the ship ready to sail, we left Crete on November 14, 2000. We stopped in Athens for supplies. After we left Athens, we lost an
engine. We had a manifold that cracked and let water down into the cylinders, so we could not run that engine at all. Crossing the Mediterranean took us 13 days instead of 9 days. We also lost our steering and lost a gyro. So, we kind of limped into Gibraltar and had everything repaired (that took 12 days) and headed
back out to sea. We had gone about 1,000 miles and we lost an injector in the #12 cylinder, and it burned the piston and the lining. We had to shut that cylinder off. That engine ran for 3,000 miles with just 11 cylinders. We had some stormy weather. The wind was out of the West coming across the Med and the Atlantic, so it was always blowing against us. We would have liked an Easterly wind.



We were scheduled to arrive in Mobile, Alabama on January 10, 2001. We had started the journey from Greece on November 14, 2000. We did arrive on schedule in Mobile. We knew our families were going to be there, but we had no idea that there were
thousands of people from all over the U.S. there to see us come in. Plus, the Mobile newspaper and television stations had really done a good job. For weeks in advance, they had run daily reports on our progress. They made this thing into a real epic voyage.

We went into the post office in Mobile to mail some items, and the guy in the back of the post office yelled to the lady waiting on us and said, "You know who you have there?" She said, "No." He said, "You have the Captain off of the LST." We had been waiting in a line of people. She wanted an autograph, and some of the people in the line also wanted an autograph.



It kind of embarrassed me. I don't know how you get used to that type of thing. For some reason, we have touched the hearts of veterans and older people. I have had a lot of phone calls from guys from WWII who served on an LST and guys from the Korean War who just want to talk to me.

We never figured on this being anything great or heroic. All of us guys just wanted to bring back an LST. We think the LST has been very underrated and unappreciated as far as the importance it played in the different wars. We wanted one so that we could all go aboard and remember the days we were on them, and so that our children and grandchildren would also be able to see an LST. That was the sole purpose of
doing this. We never thought this thing would attract so much attention. We are happy that it happened, and we hope we can get some donations and keep it going.

The plan is to keep the LST 325 running and move it around so that other people will get to see it. We need funds to refurbish the ship, and anything that can be given will be very much appreciated. We have a program wherein if $100.00 is given, the donor will receive a hat and T-shirt. If $1,000.00 is given, the donor will receive a plaque and a hat and T-shirt. Depending on certain larger amounts donated, a
stateroom on the ship may be named after the donor, or in honor of someone the donor designates.

Donations should be mailed to:

USS LST Ship Memorial, Inc.
c/o First Nat'l Bank of Danville
P.O. Box 1010
Danville, IL 61834


Click on Poem Plaque Below to enlarge and read it

Find out more at the LST 325 website here

See a Slide show of my tour photos here

An Inspiring story....Team Hoyt

I did see this over a year ago when they shared it on the Today show. It is just as inspiring to watch once again. Guess I wanted to share through the story of the Team Hoyt once again that no matter what is in your journey of life today..."Yes You Can"

Ruffles A Bald Eagle Release story.:

Ruffles a young recently fledged eagle was found on June 27 by Dustin Peterson at John Deere Golf course in Silvis Illinois. He contacted his photographer friend Stan Bousson who told him of a place called Hoo Haven and the work being done there by Karen Herdklotz. The bird was so week and sickly it put up no struggle at all as it was picked up for transport to the rehabilitation facility.
See more about Hoo Haven by clicking here:
See Photography work by Stan Bousson by clicking here

Once Ruffles was restored back to what appears to be a nice healthy young eagle, plans were put into place to return the eagle to the location close to where Dustin first found the bird. On August 10, 2008 Ruffles was returned to the area which is home for his parents and 2 other siblings fledged from the same nest this year.

Dustin has been given food to place out for Ruffles every other day for a period of time which will help to keep the young eagle's strength up as it perfects the skill of hunting, fishing, and otherwise finding its own food.

Here is Ruffles story as it unfolded with help from the above mentioned friends:

Awesome well that hardly even seems to fit BUT

Ruffles with a little help from his/her friends and I have a story to share with you

It is going to take me a day or two to get the story together but here is an appetizer....like eagle lovers even need an appetizer for and Eagle Story.


Click on to enlarge the above photo

Bald Eagle Release Story

I just happened to be talking with my son about a Bald Eagle release when he put me on to this story form Savannah Georgia.

July 30 NCTC We Be Jammin

Like most avid eagle cam watchers the NCTC fans were watching their
still and live cams hoping for one more glimpse at this years
young. What a surprise they had on their live feed this morning.
Here is what I saw as I brought up the BLOG to lurk a while from
work.

Eagle-Eye's Sissy said...
OMG Paula. The eagles ARE jammin' to some reggae.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:38:00 AM

MITS said...
OMG, it sounds like Bob Marley, maybe the eagles went to Jamaica
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:39:00 AM

MITS said...
ROFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:39:00 AM

paula eagleholic said...
Anyone else have reggae music??
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:40:00 AM


paula eagleholic said...
I guess that's a yes!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:40:00 AM


Eagle-Eyed Sharon said...
Oh wow, this is too good! Love the music!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:41:00 AM


MITS said...
I LOVE BOB MARLEY, COULD BE HIS SON ZIGGY, THEY SOUND SO MUCH ALIKE

paula eagleholic said...
Now all we need are some eagles!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:42:00 AM


paula eagleholic said...
Maybe they are jammin' above the nest!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:42:00 AM


MITS said...
probably sipping on Red Stripe as we speak.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:42:00 AM

Eagle-Eye's Sissy said...
WE BE JAMMIN'!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:43:00 AM


Eagle-Eye's Sissy said...
Good clear picture now, though.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:43:00 AM

Eagle-Eye's Sissy said...
Now all we need are 5 eagles with their heads bobbin' up and down!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:43:00 AM

MITS said...
I e-mailed , Steve to thank him this a.m.'s concert from the nest
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:53:00 AM


Hedgie said...
Hey, I've got sound, too!! Steve...ask them to play "Ain't no
sunshine when you're gone" for our eagles!!

Floralgirl said...
I hope those eagles are not indulging in other Jamaican pleasures.
I don't see smoke coming from above the tree..
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 9:54:00 AM

paula eagleholic said...
I tried to get RP to show us the name of the album...but it says
there is no info for this album
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 10:37:00 AM


paula eagleholic said...
LOL, says the audio is coming from the nest...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 10:38:00 AM


Somehow I do not think Liberty and Belle were nearly as surprised
as we all were.

Take a look at the Movie showing the making of Reggae Stars to
be!!!



Thanks again to Sharon for hitting that record button while our
Eaglets were jammin. I am so glad to be able to share their
Premiere Performance with their greatest fans.


Trust Me when the movie is over click here as you are gonna want to watch this one too.

It was a Derecho

It was 6 am on July 21 when I would be awakened by what I then assumed was another early morning summer thunderstorm. I heard the loud cracks of thunder and saw the sharp lightening. The storm was obviously moving very quickly right over head. The power went out and I heard what I thought was hail being pummeled against my bedroom window and side of house. I reached for my dog Dexter and just held onto and cuddled him until the storm had passed. It was pitch dark for a few minutes except for the vivid lightening which seemed to be almost in the room with us. I told myself its too dark to head for the basement and besides tornadoes do not happen at 6 am in the morning.

Well it wasn't a tornado. It was a derecho. A word I had never heard before and a storm I will never forget as long as I live. See links that follow Info about derecho From a local TV Meteorologist.
More facts about this very damaging kind of windstorm


While I waited for the storm to pass, little did I know of the damage that was occurring all around me. Link follows.. A 4 year old boy and his 9 month old sister who had just hours previously been enjoying a camping vacation with their family at a local campground; Dustin Steub, would lose his life that morning. His little sister Savannah remains on life support at a Peoria Hospital where she was taken after the storm.

Over 130,000 were losing their power and phone service for days. At first it looked like 72 hours and 480 plus utility workers were going to be enough to get us all fixed up. It didn't take long however to realize that the amount of trees down and utility poles and wires tangled together etc. were going to require much more help from Out of State Utilities and Tree Services. My Power was restored on Wednesday Evening by a crew from Michigan. My phone service was restored on Saturday evening by a Telephone worker from the Springfield Illinois area.

Foodstuff was beginning its eventual decline into spoilage and will in a few hours be thrown away in such quantities as to necessitate special collection bins around the city for sanitation purposes. Tuesday afternoon would find many a Freezer and Refrigerator empty. Folks preparing for their Monday morning commute would find that the traffic lights at the busy intersections all over the Quad Cites but especially the Illinois side would not be working. The streets would be covered with trees, limbs, utility poles and wires. Many streets would be totally closed.

Those who had had a busy weekend and needed to stop for gas on their way to work would soon discover there was no gas pumping going on at least not in Rock island or Moline. Grocery stores would tape off their frozen food section awaiting refrigerator trucks to come and load the frozen food items to avoid as much spoilage as possible. Generators would fire up and folks would dash between sirens (including myself) to get to batteries and ice to get through what we thought would be a long several hours and perhaps even a day or maybe two. Link follows Hospitals would go onto emergency generators to maintain critical patient care. All elective and non emergency care would be rescheduled.


Nightfall had an eerie kind of still and intense darkness about it. It was very warm and humid. I found myself propped in a lounge chair by the window where a small birdhouse had survived the storm. Sights and sounds of new life and birds caring for their young was a welcome relief. I yearned for a cool breeze. By midnight or so it was cool enough to get some sleep. I did stay out on my sofa as I had all the windows wide open and felt like I had a better sense of what was going on in the rest of the house form that room. I am not at all one to go to sleep with windows open even in the summer in the Quad Cities. The usual small percentage of jerks who prey on the hard times of others were in fact making themselves at home to several area businesses whose alarm systems etc had been compromised.



Tuesday would find it my turn to head to the shelter. I can not ever find a better group of folks to work with than those with whom I work. And when times get even tougher at a Crises Shelter..you can tell that the workers there also love their jobs and the folks they have come to serve. I could not even get down the street to the shelter which was quite a shock in broad daylight and I am glad I did not have to come in the dark. I found myself driving through a huge parking lot also littered with debris and past a car dealership whose huge front windows are also blown out and plywood has been placed in there temporarily. Pictures of the street the shelter is on are in the video. Several poles and a couple of trees still lie untouched some 30 hours later on Tuesday at 3:30 pm as I head to work. Utility Crews now number over 1000 from 9 states and these folks are working 16 hours on and 8 off trying to help us get up and running again. It is going to be a very long week. I left that night to head home with 2 shelter workers in place “womaned” with flashlights and a very hot shelter. Windows were open where safety would permit. Meanwhile I hoped to actually find my way back home without encountering trees or poles still in the streets now that pitch darkness had once again fallen on much of the Quad Cities for the second night in a row. I so wanted a nice cold drink, but found myself running water in the kitchen to try to get it a little colder and eating a banana. I sat down next to the birdhouse noises again with a candle and battery radio and prepared for my second night in the living room hoping for a cool breeze and no “neighborhood unwelcome visitors”.



As of Sunday Evening there are only a few hundred now without power. If you are one of those folks you have indeed had the most difficult week of all; Except for, a vacationing family from Springfield who places the funeral for Dustin on hold until they know more about the outcome for 9 month old Savannah. They have in fact had the most heart wrenching week of all. Info on donations to help this family will be forthcoming unless I can locate it before I publish this article. The Quad Cities is also organizing a benefit to help this family. For most reading this, the storm was a long way away from you. BUT the loss of one and perhaps 2 of your children does not fall far from the heart of anyone..especially a parent. If you are looking for someone to help and have the means I would encourage you to consider this family.
Want to Help?

Anyone wishing to make a donation to help the Stuebs family can do so at any Link follows Marine Bank branch in Springfield Illinois. Checks can be made to the Stuebs Family Benefit. Link on Marine Bank has address info.




Here is my storm video. It can be watched on Fullscreen if you click on go to you Tube. Many of the pictures here you will recognize to some degree if you have read the story here that proceeds the video.

July 21 6am The beginning of a very difficult week

So where have I been all week. Actually we have had a tremendous storm at 6 am Monday morning. I was without power until Wed evening and remain without phone. I am thankful for a neighbor who is willing to let me use their computer to upload a short picture video of only the surface of what we found when morning "broke" on Monday. I have many many pictures as the days have gone by and will make a longer story of life as it has happened this week in the Quad Cities once I get my phone service back.


Here are a couple of photos from my street and the video below starts with what I saw when I looked across the street to see how things looked after the storm which packed 100 mph winds had finally passed. I apologize for the blur of the first picture but I was shocked and grabbed my phone which did not work followed by my camera and Dex and I then headed out the door to see if the neighbors we both love so much were in fact OK after the storm.

Release of an Eagle a 3 part story

Watch her whole story in 3 parts.... below

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

West End Eaglet Adventure

Well after a force fledge by a low flying plane and being dive bombed by a strange eagle once one of them could actually get back to the nest I am thrilled to say that today after 72 hours of adventure, both gals have made it back to the nest.

I will always love you ...different than you might think

This one is too good not to share although its timing was somewhat difficult for me.




Another video click below
Thanks to Red for this link narrated by Dolly Parton


A third one you don't want to miss
Also thanks to MeMa Jo for this link to a beautiful song called Save the Eagle

A visit with a three year old

A memory slideshow of my trip to Tucson this week. It may start automatically. If not, click on the first picture of Becky Eric and Elia's home. It will enlarge and you will see captions. From there you can choose slideshow and it will play for you OR you can choose next and watch at your own pace. Hope you enjoy, I know we surely had a great time.There is also a fullscreen option.

June 20 NCTC Final Tribute Eagle Season 2008

Life as it is happening: Flight to AZ coming up

If you don't know about Elia's Journey of Faith you can click here to see her story.

Next Monday June 23 I will be flying to see my Grandaughter Elia and of course her Mom and Dad too. My daughter has sent me the latest Airline rule changes so that I will be good to go. Here they are

Attendant: Welcome aboard Ala Carte Air, sir. May I see your ticket? > > Passenger: Sure. > > Attendant: You're in seat 12B. That will be $5, please! > > Passenger: What for? > > Attendant: For telling you where to sit. > > Passenger: But I already knew where to sit. > > Attendant: Nevertheless, we are now charging a seat locator fee of $5.> It's the airline's new policy. > > Passenger: That's the craziest thing I ever heard. I won't pay it. > > Attendant: Sir, do you want a seat on this flight, or not? > > Passenger: Yes, yes. All right, I'll pay. But the airline is going to> hear about this. > > Attendant: Thank you. My goodness, your carry-on bag looks heavy. Would> you like me to stow it in the overhead compartment for you? > > Passenger: That would be swell, thanks. > > Attendant: No problem. Up we go, and done! That will be $10, please. > > Passenger: What? > > Attendant: The airline now charges a $10 carry-on assistance fee. > > Passenger: This is extortion. I won't stand for it. > > Attendant: Actually, you're right, you can't stand. You need to sit, and> fasten your seat belt. We're about to push back from the gate. But,> first I need that $10. > > Passenger: No way! > > Attendant: Sir, if you don't comply, I will be forced to call the air> marshal. And you really don't want me to do that. > > Passenger: Why not? Is he going to shoot me? > > Attendant: No, but there's a $50 air-marshal hailing fee. > > Passenger: Oh, all right, here, take the $10. I can't believe this. > > Attendant: Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Is there anything else> I can do for you? > > Passenger: Yes. It's stuffy in here, and my overhead fan doesn't seem> to work. Can you fix it? > > Attendant: Your overhead fan is not broken, sir. Just insert two> quarters into the overhead coin slot for the first five minutes. > > Passenger: The airline is charging me for cabin air? > > Attendant: Of course not, sir. Stagnant cabin air is provided free of> charge. It's the circulating air that costs 50 cents. > > Passenger: I don't have any quarters. Can you make change for a dollar?> > > Attendant: Certainly, sir! Here you go! > > Passenger: But you've given me only three quarters for my dollar. > > Attendant: Yes, there's a change making fee of 25 cents. > > Passenger: For crying' out loud. All I have left is a lousy quarter?> What the heck can I do with this? > > Attendant: Hang onto it. You'll need it later for the lavatory.> > Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway. > _________________________________________________________________

Life as it is happening

Flooding in the Quad Cities

June 9 thru 12 Tiny in I Believe I can Fly

June 8 Alpha Eagle on the nest this am

If video says unavailable just give it a little while longer to process through You Tube. It is there just posting early to get to bed early tonight.

This is a 3 part story. It will make most sense if you watch all three videos and in order.

Video 1


Video2


Video 3

June 7 NCTC Momsters Visit the nest together.

June 6 Evening Happenings at NCTC

June 6 NCTC Fledge update, Buddy Update, and time with the Loon Cam new baby

Be sure to read important info contained in the new header for this BLOG. I hope those who are subscribed continue to stay and see Life as it unfolds here. I really have no idea what will be shown, but it will all be special moments captured by someone and posted here for you to see and enjoy.If you like what you see perhaps forward the info to a friend who also might enjoy this BLOG

Scenes from a Baby Loons fist day.



Enjoy watching the Loon cam here

A Fledgling returns to NCTC early this morning for breakfast.




An update on Buddy the Eaglet from Norfolk

Wildlife Center of Virginia
Bald Eagle Update
10:00 a.m. June 6

This report was filed by Dr. Dave McRuer, Director of Veterinary

Medicine at the Wildlife Center of Virginia:

The eaglet is back in good spirits again. After starting the

patient on a course of butorphanol (an opioid pain medication

offering the best known pain relief for birds), the eaglet is now

accepting food off the forceps, making force-feeding unnecessary.

The bird continues to be active in its enclosure. Just as if it

were in the nest, the eaglet defecates out the cage door, thus

keeping the nest clean.

We have taken the eaglet off its antibiotics and will be repeating

blood work today to assess the white blood cell count – an

indication of infection status. The bird continues to grow and

presently weighs 2.24kg – certainly up from the admitting weight of

1.02kg. The downy feathers have also been mostly replaced with the

first layer of contour feathers.

With regard to the pox lesion….it continues to shrink! The nostril

is still open and the surface of the mass is much drier and not as

raised on the most forward surface. Most encouraging is the fact

that the area within the mouth has receded and almost appears

normal. We are still planning on surgically removing the mass and

are waiting to hear back from potential surgeons.

Finally, we have received the results of our heavy metal and

organophosphate panels and I’m happy to report that all were within

“normal” limits. This likely indicates that these factors are not a

contributing cause to the bird’s infection.

Light a candle for Buddy here

Can you relate to this

Wanda one of the Momsters from the NCTC cam received this email from her daughter after the first fledge of Pearl yesterday

Dear Pearl,

Please fly away and return my mother to ME ... you have had her attention long enough, I need her back now.

Thank you,
Denise

Fledge 2 with longer pre and post fledge activity.

June 4 NCTC has its first fledge

June 3 Branching Wannabees and the Fish That Wouldn't Let Go.

Branching Wannabees



The Fish that wouldn't let go

June 2 Lots happening

Lots of wingercizing...Oooopsie Daisy.......and Too Funny Ma Belle

Severe storms at nest

In Remembrance

In Remembrance and with Gratitude

May 24 NCTC The whole Family,.. a scary time...?Branching?

Another Eaglet also needing to see a Vet..update 5/22

The eaglet will not be going back into the nest today
Norfolk Botanical: The eaglet will be taken to a rehabilitation center
Norfolk Botanical: it will probably be to the Wildlife Center of VA at Lyndhurst
Norfolk Botanical: VDGIF biologist will address the media about the situation.
Norfolk Botanical: Biologist is Stephen Living
Norfolk Botanical: He will also post more details in his blog at the VDGIF site
Norfolk Botanical: According the vet - the mass is growing rapidly and needs an operation
Norfolk Botanical: It is not sure that this is Avian Pox - the mass has grown faster than thought




Buddy as those who follow the Norfolk Cam have named him, has been photographed with a growth on his beak. There is a picture of buddy with the growthe under the Norfolk thread of the forum on the side of this BLOG.

Tomorrow at 9 am Thurs May 22, the Vet will examine Buddy, determine his health and what needs to be done for him. This event will be covered in the live chat at the Norfolk site.

The forum listed on the side of this BLOG will continue to update on Buddy's condition from Norfolk and also Spirit and Skye's condition from Pelican Harbor.

I hope you have joined and are following the forum. I do post over there on an almost daily basis BUT it is divided into nests...so you can take time to read and to follow only those nests you are following and interested in.

We certainly all wish all of our eaglets well.

We do have 3 special ones now to remember in our prayers and parents who also are having hard times. Norfolk has certainly seen its share this year and now this issue with Buddy. I am glad the growth was spotted and glad to see a Vet will be called in BUT I can't imagine it will not need some kind of treatment which will remove it from the nest for more than just a few minutes for a Vet check. Stay tuned. Tomorrow will give us more info on Buddy's condition.

To check on The PH eaglets for updates go here

To keep updated on the events as the eaglets are seen by the Vet today and cared for go here

IWS updates for Pelican Harbor Eaglets


A more concise video of the days events from first spotting intruder to rescue can be seen here

Pelican Harbor Eaglets snatched by intruder but alive

A Difficult Day at Pelican Harbor

K 26 and K 10 find themselves dealing with an empty nest tonight after an intruding eagle removes both of their young from the nest. One eaglet has a broken beak and the other a possible broken wing. They are being seen by a vet and after their healing will go to a hacking tower to continue their journey towards fledging and freedom. That is the prayer and hope for Skye and Spirit.

It was the quick phone calls from 2 forum members watching their nest on the eagle cam that resulted in IWS quick response and rescue and treatment of these two eaglets or they would not be alive tonight.

If you have received anything valuable from watching the eagle cams online and are in a position to make a donation to a worthwhile endeavor I would like you to consider IWS. Without the quick response of the team sent with the info of cam watchers there would no longer be these two young. Todays events add a sense of importance of the online cams to the continued comeback of the Bald Eagle. I do not think you will ever find a more dedicated group of people to the Wildlife they serve and Bald Eagles in particular than at IWS. The days events once again prove their limitless dedication.


To see some of the happenings of the actually snatch by the intruder you can go here.

Video 1


Video 2


How to contribute

or you can send email to

or you can send an email to Peter at:

sharpe@iws.org

You can mail checks to: Institute for Wildlife Studies - PO BOX 2500 - Avalon CA 90704

Credit card information can be emailed to Peter Sharpe, Ph.D. at IWS: sharpe@iws.org or called directly to Dr. Sharpe at: 310-510-2728

PS you can designate your donations to go specifically to help defray the flight costs to move the twins to the mainland to a vet facility or to help defray their medical costs


An 8 pm CA time post by Dave of IWS crew

Hey All,

We found both chicks alive under the nest this afternoon, but after checking them over for injuries, we decided to bring them back to our facility here on the island and will be flying them both off to a vet clinic tomorrow morning. One bird has a slightly broken bill that looks like it should heal quickly, while the other may have a broken wing. They'll both get a thorough vet exam tomorrow and we'll fill you all in on the results as soon as we can. We'll also post some pictures tomorrow morning of rescue effort. Both birds seem to be doing extremely well considering what they've gone through today. We'd like to thank the cam watchers that gave us the 'heads-up' earlier today and alerted us to the happenings on the nest. It helps to have so many people keeping an eye on things when we can't.

Dave

NCTC May 16

Mealtime Family Style

Home Alone Three

Thank God for you the Wind Beneathe My Wings

For Mothers Day

May 5 Around the Eagle Cams

Life Lessons from The Creator Bald Eagle style

May 3 Lots of Great Eating Today.

April 26 3 videos that tie together

Clean Up time at the nest

Its Saturday morning and the triplets have been assigned some chores. Thats not what they have in mind though especially Pecky Pearl





Well as Pearl guessed Mom and Dad do show up at the nest but notice who is the one who grabs the food and mantles.

You Snooze You Lose




Later in the day however

Pearl is no longer the Snoozer and gets herself a snack.

April 24 NCTC

April 21 Sights and Sounds of NCTC

Fostering of West End chick

April 16 West End and Two Harbors info

When asked what was happening during the several times the egg was removed from the hatchery, this was Dr Sharpe's answer.


When we take it out we try to measure the heart rate and keep track of the size of the hole it has broken open. Later in the day I was removing parts of the shell. We finally had to break it out of the shell because it was malpositioned and stuck to the membranes.

We'll have video, etc. tomorrow.

A Video of The last minute or so as the final hatch is happening.





And a You Tube Video featuring BOTH West End and Two Harbors eaglets.

NCTC April 14

April 9 Two Harbors Wee One home with Ma and Pa

April 7

NCTC Trying to be good


Wee one wants some lunch

April 6

Very early sunday morning wee one needs a little comforting to go to sleep. Watch Steffani brood/cuddle wee one here

April 5

Taking Care of Tiny at NCTC


Look at the Eagle puppet relating to wee one at TH


My Eagles are gone but Pelicans have arrived in the Quad Cities

April 3 some great eagle cam moments

From Jan of IWS Forum just prior to 6 pm feeding tonight that cute little poop shoot

Two Harbors Hatch, and 2 Fledges at Tesoro

A Breathtaking experience to watch live.




Tesoro Tess and Oro I'm Flying


not in necessarily the best order but great videos I think you will want to see:

Pelican Harbor Hatch video from yesterday is here

Pre hatch for TH 1 is here

Prehatch for TH video 2 is here

Prehatch Video 3 is here

Post Hatch Video is here "This video has an awesome part in it with DR Sharpe and his very young chick"

Fledge at Tesoro and hatch at Pelican Harbor

Pelican Harbor Hatch



Tesoro Fledge

Short video of fledge hopefully tomorrow will have longer video. Waiting to see Tess ack at nest to add that finishing touch. Here is short version of actual fledge.

A Fun and Foolish Video for your April Fools Day

Ok How about a little Doin the
Poop Shootin Boogie NCTC Triplets style LOL.

Hope it makes you smile

A Whale of a breakfast at 7 am NCTC time

What an exhausting but wonderful way to have started the day.


A beautiful nest to watch for a fledge. Godspeed Tess and Oro Ok Birdie and Bogie

March 28 kind of fun(ny) times this morning. AND fish LOTS OF FISH

Look Out Belle



Pecky Pearl Decides to fix some breakfast.



Then came lunch delivery. Watch closely between 12 and 2 and you will see both arrive. Only one gets to stay though, the other is sent out for dessert and then some more!!!

March 26 Sights and Sounds of NCTC

Video 1 Early Morning lots of neat action




Video 2 Belle is upset...and everyone gets a nice feed

March 21

Well these parents have a plan for how to raise three.

They stuff the biggest, middle is obviously getting plenty to eat too as you will see form this video, and then little gets a turn to eat. Take a look

March 20 Don't miss these 3 Videos

3 videos for you


From Steve
Listening to our littlest family members
From Deb
The Big Fish Flop

Super Dad

March 18 at NCTC

A Beautiful Story of Love, Surrender and Commitment



The Saga of the Never Ending Old Carp ...Sing Along with me! LOL



You Are So Beautiful To Me one gorgeous early morning video clip

St Patricks Day Feast for 5