I had signed up for the Thanksgiving photo shoot to look for the ‘Duke’ eagles because it sounded like a good idea at the time. To tell you the truth I was surprised to see it on the schedule as an option at first, and then I wondered how many of the people in this Florida group lived alone and away from family, and I decided that it was a nice activity to have the option to choose. They offer it on Christmas Day and also New Years Day, and I think I signed up for all three. But I do have family here and this will be a nice holiday so I told myself I wasn’t going to go, and then I found myself in the car and got there 45 minutes early. And that turned out to be the secret.
As I arrived I saw an eagle fly into the nest, much too quickly for me to have the camera ready. And once in the nest it wasn’t visible at all. So I looked around, and off in the distance I saw what looked to be a bird sitting on a dead tree branch. There are always lots of vultures around and I told myself I was nuts for giving up my position at the nest to walk down the street for a closer look. But yes, it was an eagle. I took a lot of pictures, mostly all identical since they do have a tendency to strike a pose and stick with it, and then it flew off toward the gulf. I got myself back to the nest in time for another group member to join me, and then came the brief moment when that eagle joined the first one at the nest. I was ready this time. After that we chatted and watched the fog roll in. The nest is a short way from the Duke energy plant with it’s tall smoke stack, and we were surprised to see the top of the stack become lost in the fog. I should have taken that picture, I thought, and I turned to do just that and the entire stack was gone. And the fog became thick enough to feel like droplets on your skin, and so I decided to head for home. It was a good shoot for me, and I told them I hoped that my leaving would bring them all luck. I hope it did…
A Snowbird's Life Through the Lens 