Eagle Festival

Got my binoculars out this morning and drove to Newburyport to attend their annual eagle festival. There were several places inside and outside the city where activities were being held. I went to visit the new headquarters of the Parker River Wildlife Refuge on Rolfe's Lane in Newbury. I sat for an hour with young couples and their kids on benches in a small room off the main lobby to listen to a talk by an expert on birds. He brought with him some papier mache birds' heads that he had made and put on a great show, increasing our knowledge of the lives of birds and making us laugh while doing so.

I left the building with a map of spots in the local area where bald eagles had been seen. When I got to Spring Street in Newburyport I found a small crowd standing on the snow-covered bank of the river gazing through their binoculars at the sky and at the upper branches of trees along the far banks of the river. Looking through my binoculars I saw one eagle perched on a tree limb that jutted out over the water and another soaring above the highway bridge that crossed the Merrimac. Seeing those beautiful birds made my day. As I drove home I realized how fortunate I was to have a chance see bald eagles almost in my backyard. I will definitely be going back again soon!