Bald eagles in My Life

Saturday was the day for the return of the local bald eagles. Driving into town one of the pair of adult eagles that sits high above the highway, over Davis Slough, on a power pole has returned. I greeted him and welcomed him back. I hadn't seen the regulars since last September. I'm excited to have the privilege to greet them daily again this year. We'll see if they're regulars again.

Then driving through Stanwood, an adult bald eagle was flying low with its legs and feet dangling. I thought it was going to attempt to land on a scrawny red alder tree but instead it attempted to snap off a branch. It was working on adding to its nest. There is a nest maybe half-mile from where it was grabbing branches. I've seen this before, including the time an eagle grabbed a branch as big as itself right over our heads At Hoypus Point, Deception pass state Park.

  Port Susan Bay last spring.

A couple miles down the road I noticed another adult sitting in a small evergreen tree along the highway looking to the south. I looked in the direction it was and saw a roadkill opossum on the shoulder. It's fascinating to see the eagles now adding roadkill to their diets. Another reason to move roadkill off the road- if it's safe to do so.

It's been a wonderful gift to be a part of the return of the bald eagle. When I started birdwatching in 1980 it was rare to see an eagle. You'd often catch us birders pulling off the road, and stopping quickly to get a glimpse when we saw one. Nowadays, they're nearly as plentiful as red-tail hawks and I love it. I never tire of that 7-foot wingspan soaring above me; connecting me to the sky. I have had incredible encounters with eagles in my lifetime, including several times experiencing them flying so low over my head I could hear their great deep wing beats. It still takes my breath away.

May you never lose the wonder or the love of all things living.

Moon and Venus

Tonight the magic of a crisp clear twilight appeared to the west. A silver crescent moon with Venus as her escort. (Not the best photo of the experience). I realized that winter is the best time for taking in the magic of the phases of the moon. The skies are clearer and the days shorter, allowing me to see it earlier in the evening than summer nights.  I am always deeply drawn to the moon. It pulls at my soul at an ancestral level; maybe something within my biological makeup.

I remember flying back from Chicago many years ago at night and watching the full moon reflected in the potholes of the Dakotas. It was an ethereal experience; and beauty at its best. A photo could never reflect that experience. That is a "mind photo" that I will carry always.

Maybe the Moon fascinates me because we don't get enough clear nights.Same as the sunrise and sunsets.It doesn't really matter. I always take the time to absorb the power Grandmother Moon shares with those that feel.

During the big snowstorm here last week (some refer to it as "snowmageddon"), I heard a song sparrow singing away. What an interesting contrast with the thick white landscape and then the sound of spring!  It was a reminder that February 2 is just around the corner- my favorite day. To many folks February 2 is Groundhog day- the superstition of how many more weeks of winter we will have based on some poor captive groundhog yanked out of his cave.

I recognize February 2 as Candlemas, also called Imbolc or St. Brigid, in the Pagan calendar- the 6 week mark between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Candlemas was considered the beginning of spring in some customs. In the Pacific Northwest it's when the days become noticeably longer, the birds attempt to sing, and many native shrubs and trees show emerging  life-leaf buds ready to burst and catkins hanging down dispersing pollen. Once this date comes, I know it's an easy slide into spring when the glorious return of the birds and greens and light return in earnest. Yes, I think maybe February 2 is the first day of Spring in the Pacific Northwest.

I found this interesting website with further details about February 2- http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/candlemas.html

Well, I must apologize for wishing it would snow here on the island. I was watching the news yesterday and it snowed in many areas but missed our place. Today I get up and there's maybe a 1/2 inch. Then it started and didn't stop for 4 hours! 7 1/2 inches worth! About the time the snow stopped, the power went out for 7 hours. And this isn't even the big storm arriving early tomorrow morning.

This is the first big snow this winter here on the island and it is grand.

I love the snow (as long as I don't have to drive). It softens the landscape and muffles the sounds. It brightens the grays and browns that surround us during winter. The birds become active gleaning the branches of shrubs and trees for insects and pecking away at the ground in search of seeds to sustain them through the day and night. We supplement their diet with some black sunflower seeds on days like today. The daytime evidence of nighttime movements of critters is made visible by snow. Raccoons are the primary night stalker around our place. I can't wait to get up and make discoveries tomorrow.

Sunset Friday evening from a parking lot in Everett. We've had a week of spectacular sunrises and sunsets. As I reveled in the beauty and differences of each and every one, I realized how few we get to see in the Pacific Northwest. Known for our rain it's actually the cloudy conditions that are in abundance. Although, as you can see in the photo, if the clouds aren't solid they create some great special effects. This time of year sunrise is at a "reasonable" time of day. Unlike summer where one must get up at 4am to see it. That's too early for me these days. Right now I get to experience the colors of dawn and dusk during my commute making the drudgery of driving nearly an hour all the more interesting.