My Christmas Present
Eagles completely vanished from this area of Georgia in the early 1920s and were listed as "extinct" in this region. About 25 years ago, a single mated pair showed up in the large swamp east of the city, the first in almost 60 years. Since then, 2 or 3 eagles have wintered over in the swamp every year; I've heard, some while back, a report that there were possibly 4 in the group at times -- 2 adults and 2 younger eagles. We would see 1 or 2 of them occasionally, although generally they tend to stay east of the city, and I personally would sight them only once every 3 or 4 years.
So I was completely unprepared this afternoon for the sight of 6 huge bald eagles, flying slowly with one pair in the lead and 4 others spaced out behind them, gliding silhouetted against the late afternoon sky. I cannot imagine any more moving gift, the awe and wonder of which are still with me even now, hours later.
So I was completely unprepared this afternoon for the sight of 6 huge bald eagles, flying slowly with one pair in the lead and 4 others spaced out behind them, gliding silhouetted against the late afternoon sky. I cannot imagine any more moving gift, the awe and wonder of which are still with me even now, hours later.
posted by Hedgie at 4:04 PM
3 Comments:
Remarkable the way the old girl can bounce back if she's given half a chance. I'm glad you got the chance to see them. Which reminds me of Shadow. . . where is Shadow the E=mc^2 bird?
noi
Shadow's right here, still addicted to reciting Einstein's equation and singing "Happy Birdday" and "Itsy Bitsy Shadow went up the waterspout" whenever he gets the chance. He's become a bit of a local celebrity since we've been walking daily down along the Riverwalk and of course adores the attention, the lil' ego-glutton.
We have bald eagles back now around the Merrimack River the last couple years. They are amazing and unforgettable, the way they trace their image onto the psyche.
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