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TODAY'S MESSAGE
The 24/7 LIVE CAM was positioned right above the eagles' nest built high in a tree in a pastoral farm setting, Decorah Iowa. A pair of eagles took turns sitting on three eggs. I learned via notes in the side margin that the first egg, laid February 23, 2011, was due to hatch that very day. (No fooling.)
The first few times I checked in, Mom and Pop Eagle took turns sitting on the eggs, checking the eggs, and checking on each other. Not too exciting, still .... I kept the site launched in the background and listened for "action." The moment I heard something, like the flap of wings or squawking, I tuned in. (Writer at work. Please interrupt. :-)
Then I discovered that the camera usually zoomed in whenever the eggs were uncovered.
Heightened expectancy.
Then, "GEORGE! LOOK!" First a tiny crack, then a teensy hole, then, after much hard work by a miniscule creature of the Creator, by the end of April 2, there appeared two eggs--and one scrawny eaglet.
And so it went, one egg hatching every three days. Such a "simple thing," yet so complicated. Mom and Pop clenched their talons so the sharp claws didn't do harm. After feeding time, they gently rocked back and forth before settling over their keep, making sure all were safely tucked beneath them.
I made sure to check in last thing before I went to bed too. The night vision camera sometimes caught Mom or Pop nodding off. I would yawn, then head to bed myself.
I had no doubt where the term "eagle eye" came from. One close-up look into their eyes when they're scanning their area and you know.
At one point, more than 198,000 people were watching with me. LIVE "viewers" numbers ebbed and flowed.
 | | From the live site using my PrintScreen key, morning of 4/16 |
Mesmerized, I witnessed these three balls of fluff do nothing, squirm, unfold like fragile origami, try to stand, stretch their necks, open their mouths, eat a bite of this or that from their parent's beak, then fall over like drunken cartoon characters from the exhaustion of it all.
"GEORGE! LOOK!" "GEORGE! LOOK!" "KORNFLAKE! LOOK!" "GEORGE! LOOK!" I Tweeted, emailed, Facebooked and talked about this wonder with anyone who would listen--or not.
 | | Mom and Pop work together to warm their three eaglets, beneath and between them. From the live site the morning of 4/16 using my PrintScreen key. |
Mom and Pop took turns doing everything. With majesty, they delivered meals, most comprised of fish, birds or squirrels. I shall kindly refer to the meals' state of being, at their time of arrival, as limp. Very. The meal "preparation" process was, and continues to be, incredibly fascinating to this old farm gal.
And now (as I type on my desktop computer, I watch them out of the corner of my eye on my laptop ), feathers sprout. Siblings rival. Parents scramble to keep their demanding family alive and thriving. I laugh, squeal, cry, ooo and ah, pray and yell. I fret that the last born isn't getting his due of food. Nature can be brutal.
 | Again, the live site using PrintScreen key, afternoon 4/16
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I have read many articles on eagles, how they build their nests (one nest can weigh a literal TON), what lousy housekeepers they are (burying the muck in their nest under new layers of "fresh leaves and plant parts", an idea I found inspiring :-), and how the couples stay together, returning to the same nest. I think of my own "baby" boy, how we waited, watched, prepared our nest. Then rocked, fed, scrambled, nurtured, and kept him safely tucked under our wings. Watched him fly into the world. Have children of his own. Send us an email about "simple things." Now, Dear TwinkleGrammers, I send you The Link. Please do yourself a favor and just click it. As you watch this cycle of life evolve, take stock of the "simple things" in your life, which are, in the end, usually not simple at all, but often simply grander than any amount of words can express. ***   
*** Should you, too, become addicted to this live cam, let me know. Even though I am currently watching along with 80,116 other viewers (WAIT! Make that 83,403), it's nice to hear from one of them. :) *** Thanks to the Raptor Resource Project, for this wonderful gift. Please consider donating to their efforts. *** |
