An Eagle Has Landed

This has been a most amazing day. Of course there are many of these. The trick is to notice them and relish them. This afternoon, a new friend dropped by to share a growler of locally brewed beer with us. We sat down by the water’s edge. There we witnessed a number of seals lounging in the calm water. The sky was blue, the sun bright but pleasantly warm rather than hot. Of course there was a sea breeze, gentle not fierce as it often can be. 

On a distant shore, not too distant really, I spied what I was sure was a bald eagle. I had seen it glide to its landing place. I have rarely seen these magnificent birds. Once I caught a fleeting glance of one gliding past the field by our former home’s front porch. Another time I was sure I had spotted one high over the lake where we have spent our summers for the past thirty-two years. A mere once despite the frequent annual sightings of other aerial creatures, the hawk, the blue heron, ducks of many varieties, geese, and of course the marvelous loon. 

Apart from these two times, there have been no other sightings by me of the eagle – at least until this afternoon. And as the three of us sat there in silent awe, with our beers in hand, the graceful creature flew to within 20 feet of us with a large fish in its sharp claws. And there it sat for a long time, oblivious to us in our gripping wonder, its head, bright white, torso black or dark brown and spread tail glistening white. There it was, caught in our sight as clearly as an artist’s painting, picking away at its catch, while the gulls circled and dove, and screeched jealously.

Annoyed with the fuss, it eventually flew away, well sated.