I’ve been writing these weekly stories about life in Northern Idaho, as a youngster and as growing into a young man, primarily for our family. And I'm delighted to share them with you. Just between us, I’m anticipating being cranky when some whipper-snapper who may not even be born yet harasses me in 30 years or so with 'Grandpa, tell me about when you were a boy.' That will probably be after the mad cow disease has set in and erased whatever memory is left. So these are the not-so-dramatic adventures of a Baby Boomer in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Eagle Visitors!
On occasion we get interesting visitors here in Arizona, in addition to the Mrs. Steve’s blog friends who stop by, and the grands who spends as much time as they can here.
We live in a metro area of about 4-million people, where we don’t often see wildlife in the city. I think I told you last year about the coyotes we sometimes see wandering our streets and alleys. And I often hear owls in the trees at night.
This week’s visitor has been hanging around for a week or so, and we see his relatives every year or two, as well. They are scouting the neighborhood for food. These Golden Eagles are raptors, and they are hunting for rodents, snakes, and other delicacies. Mrs. Steve reports finding a few balls of fur in the lawn, so apparently the eagle’s hunting is successful. We think these birds are non-adults, less than a year old.
The grands were here this week when the eagle pictured below landed on a tree outside the kitchen. We all watched it for quite a while, and we were able to shoot a few photos.
(c) 2010 Stephen J. MatlockThis publication is the exclusive property of Stephen J. Matlock and is protectedunder the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Stephen J. Matlock. All rights reserved.
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8 comments:
I bet they were wonderful to watch.
A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!!!! {{{envy}}}
~victoria~
Oh, how neat that you could get thosse shots and see him that close!
We have one that lives across the street, but I haven't seen him close up. I see him in the tops of the trees over there on ocassion, and one used to fish the lakes when we lived in another community and would perch in the top of a slash pine in our yard. When we had to take the tree down due to beatles, he must have changed his perch.
But I've never seen one that close in the wild. I saw War Eagle (the Auburn mascot), but he was caged.
XO,
Sheila
OMG! That raptor would make quick work of our Little Liz!! I have seen eagles in Canada, but have not seen one here. Great post, Steve.
How exciting that must have been for the children. We see Bald Eagles here, usually from December through March. They'll soon arrive to feed on the returning salmon, in that amazing demonstration of the 'circle of life' that we see every year - the salmon, then the gulls, then the eagles and then the vultures.
I don't get to see very much wildlife around here, either, other than occasional possums and skunks. How lucky you are to have seen these beauties!
An eagle in a tree right outside the window has to be one of the all-time great thrills. Your grandkids are really lucky (maybe they brought you this good luck). Thanks for sharing.
What great pictures. How lucky to be so close up to such magnificant birds!
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