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Fauna
For those of you following us on Facebook this Spring, some of these raptor nesting images from photographers flocking to Smith Rock (along with the birds) may look familiar, but there’s a bunch of new stuff in here too, even a video of intense wing prep by a juvenile Bald Eagle. From Balds and Golden Eagles to Peregrine Falcons, Smith had a very good year.
Charlie Baughman, like a lot of raptor watchers at Smith Rock, is persistent. As the Bald Eagles hatched their eaglet pair last year on St. Patrick’s Day, Charlie was there at the nest on the 17th and saw no chicks. Saturday, March 20, in spite of fierce winds, he pointed his new camera with the 6X-15X magnifier and barely saw a chick. He named the new eaglet “Waldo” and asks you “Where’s Waldo?” Hint: Look to the far right. It is about 3 days old (2 to 4) today.
Charlie Baughman has been photographing the Bald Eagle nest at Smith Rock State Park for the last 5 years and the Peregrine Falcon nest for 3 years. We reached out to him last month after we were captivated by his image of the Peregrine Falcon chicks featured in the banner image of this article. The images he sent back were equally mesmerizing. We wanted to know the story behind the pictures. Charlie filled us in.
When rumors circulated that the parents of the Bald and Golden Eagles had abandoned their nests with the big snow the park got in February, we reached out to Park Management. While former Smith Rock State Park Naturalist David Vick retired last year, that hasn’t stopped him from caring how nesting season is going.
A park visitor found an injured female Peregrine Falcon along side the Misery Ridge Trail the morning of October 11 about halfway up the east side.
