January 3, 2020

Two feedings proceeded today.  The first was at 8:30 under heavily overcast skies yielding poor light.  The temperature was 0 degrees and winds were very light.  It was a particularly good session which kicked off 5 - 10 minutes after I left the field at about 8:40.  Lots of aerial action was followed by extensive ground action with 25 birds on the ground at one point.  This was aided by 3 or 4 large chickens which could not be taken on the wing.  There were about a dozen photographers present.

The second feeding took place at 10:30 and I was off the field by 10:35.  A layer of cloud cover had gone making for brighter condition.  The temperature was up to 3 degrees.  The eagles were a bit slower to commence feeding and it was 10-15 minutes before they came down.  There were no large chickens so most of the action was aerial with only a handful of eagles on the ground toward the end of the session.

There were about forty eagles by my count though one photographer thought that estimate to be conservative.  The mild weather may have suppressed numbers in that more food is available in the wild and less energy is expended by the eagles to keep warm.  Also, I suspect that we have yet to see the full impact of the annual migration to the area.

My stocks caught up today as I took in more than I threw out, so there will be two feedings again tomorrow at 8:30 and 10:30.  I am reserving judgment on Sunday until the weather outlook is more certain.