What Did the Fox Say? It's Cold!

Two Bald Eagles at the top of a tree in the middle of the
Wisconsin River in Sauk City.  1/26/2019  dwm photo

My count indicates this is at least the 12th blog post featuring Bald Eagles (type "bald eagles" in the search bar on the upper right of the blog home page to locate).

The eagles "winter" along the Wisconsin River near Sauk City and Prairie du Sac because there is generally open water for fishing.  Even if it's below freezing for weeks, the water below the dam stays open.

Birders and photographers eager to capture the national symbol flock to the area in January and February.  The eagles do too as more than 100 are generally counted.

My thought that after two pretty cold weeks was I'd find a lot of eagles on one of the coldest days of the winter.  It wasn't the case though as the high reached 4 degrees.  Perhaps it was too cold?

Just four mature Bald Eagles were seen on this trip - two in flight while we were driving and another pair high above the river (above right).

A shy fox ducks away from the
camera. 1/26/2019 (dwm)

I have a few places that usually have a bird or two on hand - below the large hydroelectric dam and in the VFW park on the north shore of the Wisconsin River - but for the first time in my experience I didn't find any at either location.

Lucky for me, there was a fox.  As we drove slowly out of the park there was a fox on a snow covered bike path looking at us.  I had the camera in hand.  By the time I was ready, the photo at left was all I could see.  Later, I got some shots on the side of the hill and finally a series of shots including the one below.

This Red Fox appeared to be on the hunt. 1/26/2019 (dwm)

You might see foxes all the time where you live, but for me when I've seen them previously I wasn't holding a camera and not close.

This small town fox wasn't upset by the presence of our car.  We were less than 20 feet away.  Because I was taking eagle photos, I had my long lens on the camera.  I couldn't have been better prepared.

The last time something like this happened was while taking pictures of the White River Covered Bridge and I heard a noise.  I turned with the camera in shooting position to see a doe and yearling fawn a short distance away in the shallows of the river.  (If you follow the link and scroll down, you will see that picture.)

The Ferry Bluff  state nature area.
1/26/2019 dwm photo 

Recent snow and frost caused by cold air over slightly warmer water created a picture-perfect background for the photos of the far-off Bald Eagles and the close-up of the Red Fox.

The flying pair of eagles were close to the Ferry Bluff Nature Area which is home to many wintering birds.  The bluffs are restricted from November through the end of March to give the flighty birds peace during mating and hatching.

On days like the one of our visit, it's hard to believe Bald Eagles lay eggs in February with the eaglets coming out of their shells 35 days later.

Eagles are good for the Sauk Prairie economy - we stopped for lunch at the Sauk Prairie Grill and shopped at the local Ace Hardware store. 

The birds have to be a hot attraction to get people to brave below zero temperatures in the middle of winter.