This has been a tender spring with young ones in nature. One of the 2014 eaglets on Pine Island few for the first time on March 12, and—just 9 days later—was electrocuted flying into some wires.
Did you know, once paired, bald eagles (the only eagle unique to North America), stay with their mate for life. Only if one bird dies, will the other select another mate.
During mating season, diligently selecting then carefully transporting sticks—some of which are up to a couple of feet long—both the male and female work to build the nest. The nest can span 8 feet and weigh as much as a ton!
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| A photo snip (photographer) of the surviving eagle on this year’s nest…. |
Stories of eagles swooping down and snatching a fish right out of the hands of a fisherman are not just legend on Pine Island, they are fact. They really love the slender lady fish…
One day, a dear friend who regularly visits the nest, was frightened for the surviving chick as an osprey was threatening an attack. Whooosh! Fortunately, the eagle parent had been hiding out of sight and was right there to intervene, giving a violent chasing to the would-be-intruder.
Today, my daughter shared that she found eggs from a nest on her porch overhang on the ground. She says she felt “sad” as she saw bitty birdie bodies in the now-cracked eggs. She knows first-hand how dedicated this momma bird was because she had tried (unsuccessfully) to encourage her to build elsewhere.
All of these birdie tales keep tugging at our “momma” heart strings. This is true for men as well as women. We know creatures in nature grieve. Newspapers and websites share reports of one species adopting a baby of another species to fill the void as big as the state of Texas where a mother’s love would be.
Are you wondering what it is that keeps our winged sisters and brothers building those nests? Join me as I reflect on divine love as a choice-less-ness, hard-wired into our being.
My good friend Wayne used to have a handyman service. (See previous post.) Everyone loves Wayne, and he could fix just about anything. Some memory challenges leave him finding new ways of being in the world. On his walk, he now carries a pointed stick and picks up loose paper along the way. Wayne has begun sending encouraging cards to people he cares about. A mutual friend suggested he adopt James Taylor’s “Handy Man” as his new motto: “Here is the main thing I want to say, I’m busy twenty four hours a day. I fix broken hearts, I’m your handy man.”
Wayne, and mother eagles, and you and I. We all instinctively want to make a contribution to our world. Some build nests. Some pick up trash. Some smile at strangers. Some see clients. Some build websites. Some sing in the choir. What gifts we all have to share!
