Molting....continued

Click on the link for a short slide show, that expresses the concept of molting.

I'm partial to this presentation because raptors are my most favorite types of birds. I intend to become a falconer oneday, with the American Kestral as my first avian companion.

Each year I include in my travel plans a trip to Skagit River Valley area of Washington state, where from late October to March there is one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in North America. Along a stretch of this river, up to 450 of these magnificient creatures can be seen enjoying feeding off the salmon run that lets one glimpse two of the cyclical aspects of Nature that being confined in 'concrete jungles' has us missing.

These fish are desperate to return home, to spawn in the same waters in which they were born. They are drawn to these waters by instinct and scent, for the female to lay the eggs, the male to fertilize them, and then for both, the circle of life is complete.

"Salmon have adaptations that allow them to live both in seawater and freshwater so they can spawn in freshwater. The spawning process involves mature salmon (male and female) swimming upstream against hard river currents, waterfalls and other obstacles to their home creek where they will spawn. . Salmon will usually spawn in the creek they were born in and can find this creek through a remarkable sense of smell.

In the spawning process the female releases her eggs and the male fertilizes them. After spawning occurs, the adult salmon die."

Oh, I failed to add, that I've yet to make the trip......

The images in these links will add to what I've written.

http://www.slideshare.net/targetseo/rebirth-of-the-eagle-photo-presentation

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2002733943_nwweagles12.html

http://www.skagiteagle.org/

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/wildlife/expert/seattle2.htm