SENSELESS TRAGEDY -- BIG BEAR EAGLE'S RISK

MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATING ALWAYS  .....

     THOSE WHO SACRIFICED FOR OUR FREEDOMS.

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SENSELESS TRAGEDY

 "May Gray" has greeted us many mornings with an overcast sky here in SoCal but one morning this past week the world darkened with the loss of children's innocent lives once again -- this time in Texas.  

School shootings -- 27 this year -- NPR reports HERE.  That's right, shootings in schools 27 times so far ... with  seven more months left in the year!    You've all heard and read by now about this "unspeakable tragedy" in Uvalde, Texas.

We hear all the same platitudes we've heard with every one of these indefensible human tragedies since 2012.  Prayer isn't enough.  

Weapons of war do not belong in the hands of civilians, those mentally ill, perhaps not even with teens whose judgement has not yet matured until well into their twenties as summarized by NPR HERE.

Our U.S. Senate has done nothing to correct the gun problem despite the fact the vast majority of the American people have called for reform for years. 

"Australia, Britain, Canada, and other countries have enacted reforms ..."   How they did it described in John Cassidy's New Yorker article "HOW TO PREVENT GUN MASSACRES?  LOOK AROUND THE WORLD" you can read HERE.

In the Senate, legislative bills to address the issue passed by the House of Representatives, forwarded to the Senate, are not even allowed to come up for a vote.   Aren't these legislators supposed to reflect the will of the people?  Or is it only a few minority views that take precedence?  

Those who misinterpret our constitution as to gun ownership rights to politicize the issue serve only to mislead our citizens that all guns will be taken from them.  This falsehood couldn't be further from the truth.  

I hope when election time rolls around that all those politicians stonewalling firearm ownership reform ... they certainly aren't leaders ... are voted out of office.

Jimmy Kimmel on Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

Ten years ago Ronni Bennett wrote about the Connecticut Sandy Hook atrocity on "Time Goes By" HERE.  Just substitute Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas for her words which apply to this recent massacre.  This time 21 people -- 19 children killed -- an 18-year-old shooter.   

Here's a taste of what Ronni wrote:

"No matter the gazillion words that have and will continue to pour forth the bottom line is that this is a gun crime.  Got that?  A person who was barely an adult himself shot 27 people with a lot of guns."

"...we must do something ... yeah, yeah, yeah ...

"... the NRA, its lobbyists and Congress members who readily accept that organization's campaign contributions will continue to make it easier to buy and own guns."

"...there will be a lot of calls for more armed guards in schools and no useful changes to gun laws."

Ronni hoped she would be wrong a decade ago when she wrote those words as I do now.  

Law enforcement, school guard, with all their guns did not protect those children and 2 teachers from being murdered in Texas.  The husband of one teacher died with a heart attack a few days later.

How many more slaughters over how many more decades must pass before we reform gun laws?

Maybe this time no one will allow this assault to fade out of consciousness, moving on to the next story.  Instead, holding all those legislators feet to the fire until they act to resolve this.

Maybe this time the people will keep the pressure on all those spewing the same ol' rhetoric so we can begin to end these horrors ...

"June Gloom", not just in the weather sense, has regrettably arrived early in a most unwelcome form.

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Eaglet Spirit was to be the focus of this blog post and then there was the unexpected tragedy above.

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I had to take a break once again from all that's happened here and elsewhere in our world to retain my sanity, so I visited the birds -- the Bald Eagle birds and their eaglet.   I hope you take similar breaks for whatever gives you pleasure for your own mental health.  

I don't forget what's happening, but viewing these eagles, especially any eaglets, or listening to music, and instances prompting lots of laughter offer positive health stimulation and healing to offset incessant brooding and worrying violence-laden events can trigger. 

I will keep the pressure on for meaningful change in every way I can, however limited, but certainly by how I vote for all federal government offices -- legislators especially.   Focus on local offices, also  -- school boards, sheriffs, city councils, mayors, board of supervisors, state offices, and judges at all levels of government.  I hope you and others will too.

Big Bear Bald Eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, live in a nearby Southern California picturesque popular mountain resort area in a large twig and limb-filled nest 145 feet high up in a Jeffrey Pine tree.  Their nest overlooking a scenic fish-filled lake of bluish water at lowered level now due to our drought is where they've raised their family each season.  Their daily lives have been of ongoing interest on this blog for a number of years. 

There's a live camera focused 24/7 directly on their nest, and a second wide angle camera focused on the tree area to cover eagle flights from a distance.  This year only one of two eggs hatched an eaglet thought to be a female that local area school children named Spirit.

I checked in on the bald eagle family earlier one night this past week, heard coyotes howling in the distance.  Then I saw Spirit awaken, to sit and scratch her baby fluff away from new adult feathers growing in while Mother Jackie continued her watch close by perched on the nest's edge.

Spirit is on fledge watch, could make her first flight from the nest any time now.  She periodically jumps up and down, twists and turns, hops about from her nest's front porch to back porch, spreads and rapidly flaps those massive wings at an increasing rate to strengthen all her muscles, but just hasn't risked leaving the nest yet to soar in the sky.  If you want to check in on Spirit, the link is HERE.

One afternoon mother Jackie and father Shadow were both at the nest with daughter Spirit.  After eating the fish delivered and partially fed to Spirit she demonstrated all her flight preparation moves flitting from the front porch to the back porch.  She bombarded her parents with lots of vocal "squees" communicating who knows what which they seem to understand but gave no sound response.

I peeked in on the nest later that night.  Shadow had departed, probably to a nearby tree where he positioned himself as a security monitor.  Jackie remained on the front porch with Spirit close by.  A couple times mother with intense gazes joined her responding daughter as their bodies appeared to press close to each other.

I was startled twice when Jackie after glaring at something out of camera range suddenly leapt forward with slapping wing flaps in attack mode.  It may have been the notorious flying squirrel, Fiona, or cohort Fast Freddy as these strictly nocturnal creatures attempt to invade the nest disturbing everyone's sleep.   

Big Bear Eagles Fiona Proves That She is Indeed A FLYING Squirrel 

(Thanks to Cali Condor and Friends of Big Bear Valley for this 2021-04-06 video)

"Upon seeing spread eagle Shadow, Fiona launches ... into the air .... Hopefully the landing was successful"... since "Flying Squirrels can't really fly".

These Bald Eagles are threatened by another proposed development in Big Bear once again I'm concerned to read.

Many letters of protest have been written to California U. S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Alex Padilla to aid in preserving these eagles' home there.  A recent Chat post requests no more letters be sent to them due to "an amazing show of support".  This Facebook link provides details of the Moon Camp Conservation Purchase HERE.

Local area school children also wrote letters to save the eagles their teachers report in comments on that Facebook site if you scroll down the screen.

More Moon Camp development information is provided about this threat to the Bald Eagles that can be read HERE.   Increased fire risk is also reported which the Big Bear mountain human community wouldn't welcome either, any time, but especially not now in our drought-ridden state.

Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam web site provide lots more particulars including photos and a history of the area HERE

Another major concerning issue for the lives of bald eagles everywhere is a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  An alarming number of bald eagles (in recent years an endangered species), other raptors and birds are dying due to bird flu you can read about in this Phys Org. article "Bird flu takes unheard-of-toll on bald eagles, other birds" HERE. 

I end this commentary on a cautious but optimistically hopeful note for long overdue resolution of these distressing human and avian challenges to all desiring to lead a tolerant peaceful life, or just to live -- period.

update 5/31/22

BIG BEAR BALD EAGLE SPIRIT HAS FLEDGED!

EAGLE UPDATE -- COG SLIPPING -- TRUST AND BETRAYAL

Big Bear Bald Eagle Update. (see original blog post timeline March 24^th)

Live Video Cam:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b2dUgK6VV4

2 Eggs expected to hatch with the first egg about April 10^th   -- next week?
-- the second egg maybe 3 days later

Sat. 3/30 evening:    I took a quick peek to see either Jackie or Shadow sleeping on the nest, head and beak tucked into wing feathers.   Hours later I peeked again to discover whichever eagle it was had awakened and was turning the eggs before settling down to sleep again in a  different position.

Sun. 3/31 late afternoon:  A brief visit revealed the eagle making a big yawn-n-n; later a couple of instances of the eagle appearing to regurgitate stored food for meal-time digestion.    

     “Eagles have an out pouching of the esophagus called a crop, where they can store food   when the stomach is full.  The crop also separates indigestible substances, such as feathers, fur, and scales from the meat.”  described in Bald Eagle Info link.

I also heard the eagle produce several different calls. 

        “For such a powerful bird, the Bald Eagle emits surprisingly weak-sounding calls – usually a series of high-pitched whistling or piping notes.” 

The sound we hear the Bald Eagle make on TV and in movies is usually the dubbed-in much fiercer sound of the Red-tailed Hawk though it’s a much smaller bird.   You can hear a sound comparison on this National Public Radio link.  

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COG SLIPPING

Earlier in the week I arose one morning reviewing in my mind that I had an appointment later in the day as I engaged in my personal care and dressing.  I had slept-in to compensate for night owl hours the previous evening, so brunch was my first meal of the day.   A few hours later I actually arrived a little early for my appointment.  I sat down to wait.   My thoughts reviewing my previous hours activities suddenly resulted in my realizing this wasn’t the weekday I thought it was  -- my appointment wasn’t until the next day!  Here I was trying to skip a whole day!  

Everyone there and I had a good laugh before I returned  home.    I’m rationalizing this whole event, that I haven’t slipped a cog, based on the fact that for several weeks we had been changing my regular appointment around for a variety of reasons and this week we were going back to our regular day and time ..... but this wasn’t that day.   Somehow, I was just discombobulated     Hm-m-m, sure hope I’m not “losing it”.  

I do take comfort in the knowledge I’ve occasionally mixed days for decades, especially when my children would have a weekday off from school due to special teacher’s meetings, or whatever.  Still, when we are slotted into the “being old” category and memory-related functions occasionally misfire we can wonder. 

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TRUST AND BETRAYAL

What happened?    Has there been a betrayal?     Who do we trust?     

The CIA, FBI, National Security Agency and others have all reported Russia did interfere in the U.S. 2016 Elections.  (Yeah, I know, our President says he believes Putin who denies interfering).  We’ve been told Russia is  expected to continue interfering as we go into our 2020 elections.

I think a non-partisan investigation needs to continue into how and what is being done.  We need to know that actions are being taken to insure the security of our elections – the voting system that is the foundation of our democratic process.  This is the patriotic thing to do.  

Meanwhile, back in the bird cage (I think that fits better than saying "back at the ranch" .........

Attorney General William Barr’s four page letter summarizes “the principle conclusions” in an ongoing review of the long-awaited special counsel Robert Mueller Report of nearly 400 pages as reported in the NYT. 

“The report explains that the Special Counsel and his staff thoroughly investigated allegations that members of the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, and others associated with it, conspired with the Russian government in its efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, or sought to obstruct the related federal investigations. “

Responding to legislators and the public’s demand to see the whole Mueller Report AG Barr has announced such a release to be “mid-April, if not sooner”,  following review for legally necessary and security redactions.   Our President has said he has no objection to that reports full release to the public.

The Mueller Report found that the Trump Campaign and its associates had not conspired with Russia in the 2016 Election.   Whether Trump obstructed justice  was a conclusion Mueller declined to make.  

AG Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after an initial brief  Mueller Report review as printed in the New York Times wrote:

  “The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.’”
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Because actions cannot be proven illegal for prosecution to a degree achieving conviction in a court of law, does not mean they did not occur.  

Meanwhile our President trumpets the Mueller Report of the Trump campaign and its associates not having been found to have conspired with Russia in the 2016 Election in his usual bloviating manner – fact mixed with falsehood, exaggerations, and misrepresentations.  How do we trust someone like that?

Not to be ignored is the fact there have been multiple criminal indictments with prison sentences for those associated with him.

“Mueller's 22-month investigation, however, netted indictments against 34 people and three entities on nearly 200 separate criminal charges. Five associates of Trump have been convicted, and another, Roger Stone, is awaiting trial.”

For a President whose character, ethics and value system are questioned by many with no political axe to grind, is it any wonder some common questions and sayings also come to mind:

Can a person be known by the company they keep?  

Are people influenced by those with whom they associate?

Do birds of a feather flock together?

Some of the topics this week prompt me to think of all kinds of birds at the risk of insulting a few -- Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, Night Owls, and then there are the Flighty Birds, Jailbirds, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Dodos, Coots, Buzzards plus Loons and Cuckold Cuckoos  ....... 

SPRING SNOW -- BALD EAGLES -- INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Spring has sprung with alternating rainy and sunny days here in the foothills of Southern California.  Snow flakes still occasionally descend from the sky, lightly covering some mountain areas, including trees with nesting birds interesting me. 

I checked in via a live camera on a Bald Eagle couple in the Big Bear Mountain area northeast of here to see one of the two birds asleep on the nest, head carefully tucked into wing feathers as snowflakes sifted down around.   

Locals have named the pair Jackie and Shadow.   Jackie is believed to be the same eagle who laid one egg last year, which successfully hatched but the eaglet later died.  Jackie’s mate, Shadow, this year, is thought to be a different male when they constructed their nest. 

1)  Family planning for the couple proceeded on February 8^th as they fertilized any eggs produced in this Desert Sun photo link from the Big Bear Mtn live cam:

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2019/02/08/bald-eagles-mating-camera-sex-big-bear-california/2812853002/

2)  The couple admires their first egg laid March 6^th  in this San Bernardino Sun photo live link:  

    

https://www.sbsun.com/2019/03/07/as-web-cam-watches-big-bear-bald-eagle-lays-seasons-first-egg/

The report is:

“Now, for the next 35 or so days, we will see the parents share incubation duties,” service biologist Robin Eliason said. “This regulates the temperature of the egg so the embryo can develop. If all goes well, we should see a hatchling in around April 10.”

3)  Jackie reveals a second egg she has just laid on March 9^th  in this photo live link:

https://www.sbsun.com/2019/03/11/big-bear-bald-eagle-lays-second-egg-of-the-season-live-on-webcam/

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Mama Jackie and Papa Shadow bald eagles are carefully caring for their future offspring as they alternate periodically turning,  steadily warming and consistently protecting their precious two eggs.  

Their little eaglets  are expected to hatch with the first due about April 10^th. 

You can continue to take a peek at them in real time now on the live camera link below.            
   Bald Eagle Cam Live – Big Bear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b2dUgK6VV4

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The Institute for Wildlife Studies offers chat and some additional live camera links observing Bald Eagles at other sites, Peregrine Falcons, Horned Owls:

http://www.iws.org/livecams.html 

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Special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report to investigate if Russia interfered in the U.S. 2016  national election has been completed and presented to the Attorney General William P. Barr.   

The special counsel’s office is not recommending any further indictments.   

AG Barr and select staff will review, then determine when and how much of the special counsel Mueller’s report contents will be released to the public but have promised “transparency.”

I believe I have a right to the full report containing all the information to the maxim extent according to the law -- my funds paid for that report, so I’m entitled, as are all U.S. citizens.   

I look forward to an imminent timely release of this report in full, and not just some encapsulated summary or an abbreviated version. 

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Bald Eagles are a national symbol considered a sign of strength since ancient times.  They have an interesting backstory recounted with a click on this HISTORY link.