Day 84

There are some things in the world that have such a commanding presence you can't help but look at them and be in awe. For me one of those things is the bald eagle. I'm lucky, there are a few living in my little area of the world, for a time there was even a pair nesting in a tree on the driveway that leads to my brother's house, that was a cool summer, we would watch them everyday, flying to and from the huge nest looking for food for their young. Today, I was at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge seeing what I could see, mostly ducks of one variety or another, they're on their way back north right now and are at their most colorful in the spring, so I was mostly spending my time trying to identify the different types, I had my camera but they were just a bit to far away to get any kind of good picture, so I was content just to watch them. As I sat in my car I saw a bird flying and remarked to myself, that is one big bird, I thought it was a turkey vulture, they have a large wing span but then I noticed the way it was flying and thought nope, that's an eagle. And it was, a juvenile bald eagle, even though it doesn't have the traditional white head and tail yet, it's still an impressive bird. Just look at them, they know they're the coolest thing in the sky, way cooler than any other hawk. Don't get me wrong, my favorite types of birds are the eagles, hawks and falcons, but eagles take the cake. I once photographed the eagle that lived near my brothers house, it was sitting in a tree and it looked down at me, right at me, right in the eyes, it scared the crap out of me, don't believe me? Check out the photo, I thought it was going to come and take my camera away, like I was the paparazzi hiding in the bushes and he was George Clooney out on a date...

"Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes." -E.F. Schumacher