A Close Encounter With A Bald Eagle

Eagle in Flight

On my jog yesterday, I had a “Close Encounter” with the bird world’s equivalent of a rock star … a bald eagle.

There’s a small, posh development on the marsh about a half mile from our condo. A “bobby pin” street juts out into the marsh, providing beautiful views of the water on three sides. It’s the perfect place to see wading birds, and I frequently jog there in the early morning.

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

I was in the zone, not paying much attention, when a huge black and white bird swooped out of a street-side live oak tree directly across my path. It was a beautiful, mature eagle with all the classic markings, and must have had an 8 foot wingspan. With a few elegant flaps of its large wings, it was over the marsh, flying south.

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

Bald eagles are very rare on our Island, and after 7 months here, this was my first sighting. As we said in the oil exploration business, “Luck counts too”. And frequently, it’s just about being at the right place at the right time.

Happy Trails,
James

Author: gallivance.net

We're Terri and James Vance - high school sweethearts who went on to international careers and became world nomads. Today, 65 countries later, we're still traveling ... and still in love. Check out Our Story for more of the backstory at gallivance.net.

11 thoughts

  1. I’ve looked at your blog and seen your sailing plans. Very, very impressive. I’m not a sailor, but have spent some time at sea (The North in winter), and know what an unforgiving mistress the sea can be. You both must be very competent sailors. I’ll enjoy following along. BTW, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Thailand, and love the food. And after looking at authentic recipes, I see why the real thing tastes so great. You have an interesting blog and an inspiring plan. Best of Luck and smooth sailing.

    1. Thank you for your concerned and I am concern much about this also. Steph is preparing useful equipment but I heard from experience that it broke on the way, so they must work all day all night keep watching boat. who knows how bad the wind or waves will be. Glad to know you. Hope you don’t mind I will add menu link friend from my blog to your blog. so my blog not stay alone. 🙂

    1. Thanks for the comment and for dropping by the blog. I’m glad to hear that you and your wife enjoy Texas. We lived in Dallas (twice) when I worked in the Ol Bidness. Texas can be an acquired taste, but once it gets in the blood, it’s hard to get rid of it.

      1. I agree that Texas can be an acquired taste. And I think I am acquiring it. 😉 or have, already. As they say, “Texas is a state of mind.”
        Have a great weekend,
        Pit

  2. I have lived in Colorado for many years and have been disappointed that I never saw bald eagles, though they are there. In the last two months I have been to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Williston, ND where my husband has been working. I saw three in Iowa and one in Williston. A thrilling sight! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks for the comment Pat, and for dropping by the blog. I spotted my first bald eagle in the desert SW years ago, and then it was years before I saw another one. The primo spot for me was on an overnight ferry from Juneau to Sitka, Alaska. There were bald eagle nests every 100 yards! It was incredible. I’m still waiting for the “NatGeo” moment when I see one snatch a fish from a stream. When that happens, I will go buy a lottery ticket.

What do you think? We'd love to know!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s