It was Memorial Day, 2008. My neighbor asked if
I would help him edit photos of a newly hatched eaglet. The nest was just a
short distance from our house. Over the next few months, I documented the growth
of the baby eagle a miracle of nature if there ever was one.
The baby grew quickly and just like Jethro on
the television show the Beverly Hillbillies, it was huge with an appetite to
match. When Jethro was a few weeks old both parents left the nest at the same
time to hunt for food. He was curious and would venture to the end of the limb
and gaze down at me. When Mom and Dad returned they would squawk at him until
he retreated into the nest. Jethro perched on the edge of his home made of
sticks as it began drooping under his weight. When he was finally able to take his
first flight, it was just in the knick of time because there wasn’t much left
of the nest to hold the gargantuan youth.
In Klamath Falls each year on President’s Day
weekend, the Winter Wings Festival pays homage to many kinds of birds, including
our national icon, the bald eagle. This region is one of four major bird flyways
in North America and one of two areas with the highest concentration of
American Bald Eagles.
Today’s gift was to meet with the website
designer to put the final touches on the photo contest for the WWF website. I volunteered
to upload the photos. If all goes well, people will be able to “like” them on
Facebook. I am excited to see the photos that people have taken of birds in
this area. Plans call for the photo contest to be live next week at http://winterwingsfest.org.
In Giving,
Robin
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