Strange title, isn't it? About a week ago I found out about an eagle's nest being broadcast via webcam from Decorah, Iowa. Being an eagle lover I have been hooked ever since. I tune in daily - sometimes a few times each day. It is fascinating to me to watch this majestic pair of our national bird tending to the nest that holds 3 eggs, due to hatch next week. I feel like a birdie grandma each time I check on my babies. I am now wanting to name the parents, as well as the newborn eaglets once they are born. Tsk. Tsk. This is a no-no for all things wild I discovered.
When did I become so interested in all things nature? I was born and raised in the city, became a suburbanite at the age of 15. I have always admired beautiful things, probably part of my artistic genes (a lot of artists in my bloodline), but now I can't get enough of birds, coyotes I see roaming the suburban streets, even ugly opossums I see who met their fate as roadkill. I almost cried when I saw a dead squirrel on the side of the road the other day. What is happening to me? Premature senility? Too much time on my hands now that I am retired? I read something the other day on the "chat" portion of the eagles webcam site from an older gentleman who expressed some regret in waiting so long to appreciate nature. It was like an epiphany for me! I am even more committed to my appreciation of birds, animals, and plants now. I have the time in my life now, so why wait until I am older, like the forlorn gentleman chatted about?
The webchat portion of the eagles site has a lot of information that I have just eaten up. Each day it seems someone who has signed on to chat expresses a desire to name the eagle pair and babies. As I mentioned above I felt the same way. The mediators explained that wild animals and birds are never to be named. I guess it has everything to do with the freedom they have and deserve as WILD. Personally, I think it's because we have no right to own anything wild, and that naming them gives you some right to ownership. We cannot own an eagle or any of their offspring. Even the mating pair doesn't have "ownership" of their eaglets. Once they have "fledged" the parents may never see them again. As a parent of humans, I have no concept of this (especially since both my kids now live with us again). Knowing all this still hasn't made me not want to name these majestic birds.
My next mission is to try to get my family members to share in my passion for nature. I always try to engage one of them when I visit the Decorah eagles site, but no one stays interested for long. My own children call me a dork. My grandkids will watch for a while, but then something else catches their interest. Artie tries to look interested for a while, but that fades too.
Having time on your hands sometimes lends itself to thinking about your legacy. While our children and their children (and their children...) are our legacy, I want it to be so much more. I want my grandchildren to have an appreciation for animals, birds, trees, and more. With so much technology available to them there has to be an outlet for them to express a different passion or interest. I think Aniella may have the nature-lover gene. She has sat with me as I visit the eagles site, asking a lot of questions. She has been excited to see robins - the harbingers of spring - and I have tried to make it exciting to welcome these birds as such. Just yesterday she looked out the patio doors and exclaimed, "Grandma! Grandma! There's a Robinson in the tree!" After I stopped laughing out loud, I shared a private moment of glory. She was excited about a bird! Maybe ONE of my family members will share my passion.
If you are interested in the eagles website, and you have read this before they "fledge", here is the link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/decorah-eagles
