The eagles have landed and so has spring!

The temperature hit 50 degrees as we were packing up camp this morning and the snow quickly turned into the now all-too- familiar giant bowl of mashed potatoes. For the last week we have been seeing signs of spring, but today, the last day of our adventure, I know that spring is here. As we drove down the dirt road leading out of Cross Lake my eyes slowly scanned the passing bush, and my mind wandered to the wilder places we had explored. I was brought to attention by a large raptor circling above

Click on image to enlarge

the treetops next to the road. The magnificent bird effortlessly kept up with our car as we sped down the road at 60 miles an hour for several minutes.

This amazing predator was the first bald eagle I had seen since last summer. Bald eagles are a common sight in Manitoba during the summer, but when the lakes freeze over the bald eagles migrate south along the Mississippi River valley. Many of the eagles from this area end up in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.

The first fast moving rivers are starting to open up as the days grow longer and warmer temperatures begin to melt the snow and ice. This eagle is one of the first of many bald eagles who will migrate north for the summer. I am always amazed that such a large bird can fly so far!

These enormous birds can weigh as much as 14 pounds and have a wingspan as large as 8 feet across. The females are larger than the males. California condors are the only raptors larger than bald eagles in North America.

As we drove further down the road I spotted a second eagle and then I knew spring has arrived in Northern Manitoba!

Keep Exploring!

Dave