March 2 - Oh! Eagles!

I'm at my computer right now, in the living room overlooking the forest and pond. Just a minute ago I saw a gigantic dark swoosh come through the bare winter trees. You know what it is?....... A bald eagle! It is sitting on a tree right out my window right now. (I feel like I'm typing this in a whisper.)

Its partner is flying in circles overhead. Oh, this eagle is so beautiful. They truly have a bold gaze and alert eyes....all the dignity that their reputation says that have, and even more. Seeing this eagle so close is more impressive than I ever would have imagined.

I have seen these eagles before, but never this close. About three weeks ago I was driving over the river to Hudson. Far down below there was some open water that had just iced over during a cold snap. There were two large dark figures sitting on this smooth clear ice -- and they were two bald eagles! Probably the same pair. I was impressed even from that distance.

Then a couple days ago I was out for a walk. Three blocks from my house I again saw a huge dark shape out of the corner of my eye, and again, a bald eagle (probably this same one) flew right over my head.

So it seems a pair of bald eagles has come to live in our neighborhood. How amazing! I never knew how truly beautiful these birds are.

For any non-Americans reading, what makes this even more wonderful is that the bald eagle was nearly extinct about twenty years ago due to a pesticide called DDT that destroyed their eggs. Now they have made a significant comeback and are even re-populating rivers such as my own beloved St. Croix. How fortunate we are!