On The Hunt...

  Some folks go their whole lives without really being aware of what is around them.  Not too long ago, I had a nephew tell me that the largest bird in this area is the Osprey.  "Have you ever seen one of those?" he queried.  Yep, well, I sort of live in the midst of them.  "They are huge!  They are the biggest birds around here!" he remarked.  He was so excited about his find that I almost did not have the heart to tell him that we have Bald Eagles which are much, much larger than the Osprey.  As fate one have it, right at that moment, an eagle flew over the Little Bayou House.  Enough said...he is now in awe that he has seen a "real, live eagle"!  This young man has lived here all of his life and is just now noticing eagles?  Wow!  But...it does not surprise me as his sister was so happy when she found that I had blue "pigeons" in my yard a few years back.  Surprisingly enough, she was referring to the blue buntings that were migrating through the area.  Those tiny birds are long stretch from a pigeon.  The sweet girl had never been told that there were other birds besides the pigeons she had seen on the streets in town.  What a shame.  I guess parents are not teaching their kids about nature.  I did.  Our kids loved being able to roam about the Bayou and woods and paddle the waters of Back Bay.  By being outside, they learned to love nature.

  This afternoon, Mark and I sat on the pier just enjoying the view.  A few pelicans were diving for mullet when suddenly Mark made the comment that the eagle had just caught a fish.  Sure enough, a bald eagle had a quite large fish in its talons and was heading back to the nest site.  Seeing the eagles dive for fish is a sight like none other.  They are powerful birds that can haul a huge fish out of the water, take flight and carry that fish for quite a distance without ever struggling.  With their excellent vision and accurate aim, the eagles rarely miss their mark.  With the Bay so full of fish at the moment, nary a predator should go hungry and that eagle had enough food to feed itself and perhaps its young.  Mark and I are truly blessed to have a front row seat to observe nature at its finest.