Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Park Babies and Eagles - Mason Neck State Park


The girls and I took advantage of a 65 degree day and visited Mason Neck State Park on a day when the Rangers were presenting a program on springtime babies.

Ranger Kevin told us about the bald eagles that nest in the park and they have already laid their eggs. The eggs will hatch in April and the babies will be full grown by June. Adolescent eagles are dark brown and don't get their white heads until they are a grown up eagle after five years.

An eagle's grasp is so strong that if it were to land on your bare arm and squeeze it could easily squeeze you down to the bone. Sounds terrible.






This nest on top of a telephone pole is the nest the park tried to build for osprey, another bird of prey, but the ospreys rejected the nest because it was too close to people.


At the back of the Visitor Center, there is a "box of bones" so that animals can chew them up for nutrition or to use for nests.



Ranger Kevin demonstrated how eagles and osprey fly differently. The eagles fly with their wings in a straight line. The other people in attendance must have had better eyes than I did. I need binoculars to see such things.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Frozen Waves - Leesylvania State Park

While walking at Leesylvania State Park after a week of cold temperatures, I noticed that the Potomac River had frozen nearly all the way to Maryland.





Despite the signs warning of danger, this man walked far out on the frozen ice. If he had fallen through, he would have been in trouble and put his rescuers in danger, too.