Slow Down and Enjoy Nature

I was getting frustrated as I was rushing to get to work yesterday. It had suddenly started snowing and the roads were slick. I was driving slow and thinking about how there was a good chance I was going to be late, which I absolutely hate. It wasn’t like I was going to be late to sit at a desk. I was on my way to talk to a class of 3-5 years about child abuse; safe vs. unsafe touches and how the blue ribbon serves as a reminder to grownups to “keep kids safe”.

The car in front of me was slowing down even more and that’s when I saw a white bird on the other side of the street in the middle of the lane. I was on a residential road about a mile and a half from my house.  My initial thought was that it was a goose which I knew made absolutely no sense, so I thought oh it must be a turkey that would make sense! Then I realized, no it wasn’t a turkey, only the head was white! It was a beautiful bald eagle that was in the road not injured as I originally thought but with a squirrel in its talons! It flew overhead to a field to eat. I pulled over and wished I had been able to take a picture but it was too far away at this point and I sat on the side of the road for a minute or two while I watched three crows fly down around it. Yeah right like a bald eagle with a seven foot wingspan is going to share with three cawing blackbirds! Not a chance, and it didn’t even flinch when they landed.

I continued on to work with a smile on my face and a reminder that in spite/despite the snow and ice I live in a beautiful part of the country.

Favorite Photo Friday: Bird Babies

It has become common around my small house and property to see one, if not more, Robins build a nest on or around our house in spring. I often watch with admiration of a bird’s determination to build a home for its growing family on a crooked light rather than a tree. But in April of 2010 a Robin built a nest in our fence. If I stood on my tiptoes I could see inside the nest and when I stood 10 feet away on a bench and zoomed my camera in I captured some of the most breathtaking moments that nature has ever provided me. We watched the eggs turn into tiny closed eyed baby birds. We watched the dad bird guard the nest from afar, while the mom fed the babies. And we eventually watched the birds with their youthful spots hop around our yard bravely on their own under their parents’ watchful eyes.

This is just one of many photos I took during their time in the nest, but it is the most heartwarming one to me. It’s a bit blurry, but it’s one of my favorites just the same.

Photo taken by Daria Lapp. 4/28/10. The birds were just 2 days old.