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.
No comments:
Post a Comment