The Eagle Has Landed

DH and I live within a mile of a beautiful lake near Claremore, Oklahoma. As a result, we share our humble homestead with a variety of God's creatures.

Skunks. Deer. Owls. Coyotes. Copperheads. We've got them all. I'm not in love with the copperheads and the skunks. It's like living in an episode of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."

"Jim will now wrestle the anaconda..." If I was Jim, I would have told Marlin to kiss my rosy red one and wrestle the damn thing himself.

Earlier this year, DH learned from some good friends who live on the lake that some bald eagles had begun nesting there. Our lake has a large population of ducks and ducklings and it is well known that eagles like Duck a l'Orange.



This DH had to see for himself. Thus began a succession of trips down the street in search of the ultimate symbol of American freedom. The first few trips bore no fruit whatsoever. The eagles were being shy.

In the midst of the hunt, a blizzard visited Claremore with 20 inches of snow, and the lake froze solid. DH risked life and limb to get out of our driveway and down to the lake.



Bingo. DH found the eagle. The only problem was that DH was being watched carefully by the "eagle eye," so when DH got close enough to photograph the bird, it would fly off.



This was going to require some serious equipment. DH had recently acquired a new high-powered camera lens that would do the trick.

The following day, DH went back to the lake and with the correct elixir of camera equipment and dumb luck, he was able to get the shots you see here.

Check out the talons on that bird. He appears to be saying, "Here ducky, ducky."



There is only one word to describe these photographs, Dear Husband:


Majestic.