EAGLES POPULATE FARM COUNTRY IN WINTER

 

Bald Eagles are common in our area due to their fondness for lakes, rivers, and bays, where they fish for catch themselves.  Their talons and powerful bills are perfect for grasping slippery prey and breaking through the tough skin of fish.

 

 But eagles also migrate here from their breeding grounds across Alaska to Newfoundland.  It’s during this migratory period that I’ve seen eagles in farm country too, far from regular water sources.  A family of four has inhabited one particular area for the past few years.

 

 But this year, I’ve only seen one adult eagle there.  They’ve been drawn to this particular area because farmers and the road commission have dropped road-killed deer onto the barren corn fields.  Deer carcasses are one of the eagles’ favorite winter prey but when left by the roadside, many eagles can be hit by cars as they feed.

 

 I drove on and spotted another Bald Eagle in a large tree overlooking a field where I’d not seen them before.  Their iconic shape and white head have made them easy to sight, even from a distance.

 

 Majestic, stately, exalted, stunning.  What more can describe these American icons!! 

 

 Around the block in another field of corn dregs, I spied two more eagles, both of which were young.  This subadult was probably a two year old as its feathering was predominantly brown.  Even at this young age, it was ferocious-looking.

 

 It took to the air, flying low across the field.  Did it have something in its sight?  Getting a look at its underside confirmed it was probably a second-year, due to the amount of white on its belly.

 

 The last Bald Eagle I spotted was another juvenile, this one a third year bird from the amount of white feathers coming in on its head.  I couldn’t help but wonder if these four eagles were part of the one family I’d seen in prior years in the road-kill field. Perhaps, they were all taking independent hunting trips of their own that afternoon.   And yes, I’m anxious to get out there and see for myself. 

NEW KNEE UPDATE:  I continue to make good progress with my new knee.  I’m totally off narcotics and only take Tylenol rarely for discomfort after physical therapy.  This week I was able to get on my recumbent exercise bike and, for the first time, I had the range of motion to make full revolutions with the pedals.  That was huge progress for me.  Also working on refining my gait.  With so many years of “bad-knee” walking, I’m trying to develop a normal gait.