The Eagle's Nest

It was late March and my husband, no longer able to resist the call of fishing, had taken us to the Poconos. Like the rest of the residents of the North East we felt the call of spring. We were all tired of the gray days, the snow and the cold. We were seriously wishing for sunshine and warmth and trout.

That day, we drove up to the mountains from South Jersey with the promise of temperatures in the 60’s. Even so, there was still snow on the ground, patches of ice on the edges of the streams and water temps of 37 degrees. Fishing was difficult because fish are not terribly active feeders at those low temperatures.

So what to do ... too cold to fish, too cold and slippery to take a walk, no sunbathing.

The last time we were in the Poconos was last fall. At the time, we had become aware of a pair of eagles making a nest along the stream where we fish. With the hope of seeing them again, we brought our telescope.

You never know what wonders can be happening right around you until you stop long enough to pay attention. If it had been warmer, if the trees had been in full bloom, if the fishing had been productive, if, if, if … we would have missed the show.

Right outside the picture window in our cabin, we were witness to a pair of actively nesting American Bald Eagles.

As we were watching, the female was in the nest incubating her eggs. She must remain in the nest for about 35 days. We had this amazing view of her perched high in a towering pine tree, protecting her eggs.

The male spends many hours protecting the nest, too. He can be seen flying up and down the length of the stream. From time to time, he brings a fish to the nest for his mate. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble catching those elusive trout.

At the end of the day, the male finds a branch near the nest and perches there. As the light diminishes, he watches his surroundings, ever vigilant.  He remains for about twelve hours only leaving at sunrise. Once again protecting the area around the nest and hunting for his mate.

On our third day of watching the eagles’ behavior, it seemed apparent to us that the eagles were aware of us also. I felt like they could see our movements at the window.  We would jump up each time the male flew away or as he made his way up and down the stream.

They seemed to be looking right at us as we viewed them through the telescope.

It was uncanny and a bit unnerving. The stare was vigilant and resolute.

What a privilege to have had the chance to see such magnificent birds. I’m glad that our focus was averted from the stream so we could pay attention and be present in the moment.

The pictures of the Eagles were taken with an iPhone through the telescope.