1/12/2024 0 Comments Gary park predators![]() The remains of Belinda, David, and the baby were found hidden in a nearby cave. More than a year later, on April 12, 1975, two hikers made a horrific discovery: the decomposing body of Richard, tied to a tree. Forest Service, Oregon National Guard, and countless volunteers uncovered no sign of the four missing family members. The search that September for the Cowdens was one of the most extensive in the state’s history. “Even the milk was still on the table." The Cowden’s dog, Droopy, was discovered outside a general store the previous day. "That camp was spooky,” Officer Erickson, a state trooper who responded to the scene, would later say. However, some of Richard’s belongings were found on the ground. When the family did not arrive for dinner as expected on September 1st, Belinda’s mother went to the campsite and discovered that the family’s area looked as if they had only stepped away for a moment. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along a section of the Siskiyous. They all appeared to be living in harmony.On September 1, 1974, the Cowden family-28-year-old Richard and 22-year-old Belinda Cowden, their five-year-old son David, five-month-old daughter Melissa, and basset hound, Droopy-disappeared in Oregon near the Rogue River National Forest Campground in the Siskiyou Mountains. I once saw a huge tree with a big red-tail nest perched on the very top, several robin and finch nests here and there in the branches, a couple of barn owl nests and a great horned owl nest about four feet farther down the trunk and a gray squirrel nest just below the owl nests. Your comment about the squirrel and the neutrality of the nesting tree may have some validity. It was just the right size, with toothpick bones, for feeding day-old eagle chicks.Īs the days went by and the babies rapidly grew, so did the size of the prey animals the parents brought to the nest for them to eat. ![]() The male eagle suddenly swooped down into the nest and opened one huge foot to show the bright yellow body of a tiny male American goldfinch. The two babies, tiny bits of white fuzz, were only a day old. One spring, I was once observing a golden eagle nest through my binoculars. The female can handle the bigger rabbits, feral cats and ground squirrels, and the smaller, more maneuverable male can catch the smaller, faster animals. It supposedly allows them to catch a wider range of prey species. Some avian scientists think it’s an advantage for a predatory bird species to have one large parent and one small one. You can tell the difference between mom and dad by their size. It takes both parents to catch enough prey for those always ravenous babies. How else would the youngsters learn to care for their food? It’s amazing they ever survive to become such skilled pilots and fearsome hunters.Ī lot of “breakfast” gets dropped by the youngsters as they figure out what to do with those overgrown feet. They start out all fumble and bumble and just plain clumsy as they exercise with those big, rubbery wings. It’s a real kick in the pants to watch teenage red-tails learn how to be top-of-the-food-chain predators. What fun to have all that activity so close to home! ![]() There are also barn owls and turkey vultures residing in those big trees in the park.
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