Snippets: So Much Bird Action
☆ April 14, 2017
This morning’s pond activity: two geese and two sandhill cranes. The cranes (which have moved in!! I am ecstatic!!), were not down with the geese. They seemed to be yelling, in unison, directly at the geese, urging them to get going and find another pond. The geese were like, relax, we’re just taking a little break and floating here not bothering anything. So the cranes waded out into the water and started herding the geese out of the pond! The geese got agitated and honked some obscenities, then started paddling in earnest and flew off. The cranes relaxed and pranced back to the bank and were like, yes, this pond is ours. And I, from my perch up the hillside with my binoculars, was like, yes, it’s all yours, just please stay! (Here’s a recording I made of them the other morning)
I am so incredibly thrilled and touched by the response to the new book. I’ve received a zillion emails this week and am powering through them as fast as possible. And enjoying it! EMDR worked!
On the afternoon of my birthday, I was in the kitchen and saw a bald eagle out the window, fairly close to the house. I went out on the back deck and she flew over to me (I don’t know if the eagle was female, but I hate writing “its” over and over). So close I could see her pupils, individual feathers, and the nails on her talons. She sailed past me, turned, glided right by me again, turned, drifted past me AGAIN… FIVE TIMES. Ten yards away at the most. She was so close for so long that I got a little fearful that my hair maybe looked like prey and that I was the target. The coolest thing was watching her move her head side to side, back and forth, back and forth as she flew. It reminded me of a fish. The whole thing was incredible.
The next afternoon, I was lying on my bed, feeling the effects of a week filled with adrenaline and coffee and very little sleep, and I saw a bald eagle out my window. Just happened to catch it fly by with the corner of my eye. So I went outside. It was very windy. The legendary Wyoming wind that, thankfully, we don’t get too often in my county. The eagle flew in an arc across the driveway and flew towards me until she was about 20 feet away, diagonally above me so we were looking at each other. She had her head facing right into the wind, and she hovered there, motionless (but of course not motionless at all). I don’t know how long. I just know that for that time, the wind didn’t bother me.
Forever – is composed of Nows –
‘Tis not a different time –
Except for Infiniteness –
And Latitude of Home –
From this – experienced Here –
Remove the Dates – to These –
Let Months dissolve in further Months –
And Years – exhale in Years –
Without Debate – or Pause –
Or Celebrated Days –
No different Our Years would be
From Anno Dominies –
~ Emily Dickinson
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21 Responses to “Snippets: So Much Bird Action”
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April 14th, 2017 @ 8:08 am
How very cool. Happy Birthday, Shreve!
April 14th, 2017 @ 8:11 am
Please Google what an Eagle means as a spirit animal and what it means when one shows up. There are several beautiful messages out there and I’m sure they will resonate with you. What an incredible amazing experience you were gifted, we are definitely all one with the Universe. She was definitely sending you a message. xoxo
April 14th, 2017 @ 8:19 am
Wow, all these birds, you are expanding. Your kitties are in danger though so that’s not a good thing. Hopefully your eagle only likes mice!
April 14th, 2017 @ 8:47 am
Beautiful!
April 14th, 2017 @ 10:05 am
Maybe she is your grandmother’s spirit come to send love and say hi?
April 14th, 2017 @ 10:39 am
The Medicine Cards list ~eagle~ first and its medicine is the “power of the Great Spirit, the connection to The Divine”.
I simply think it was a kick-ass bday present, for sure.
April 14th, 2017 @ 11:29 am
Just reading this post, I could feel the wind and the awesomeness of having the Eagle that close. It reminded me of the time that I got to meet FREEDOM at Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington, WA. I had read the book “An Eagle Named FREEDOM” by Jeff Guidry and had been in contact with him through e-mails. Then when we did a trip back in 2012 we made arrangements with Jeff to go by Sarvey and meet FREEDOM. That was the most surreal feeling standing next to her and have her put her wing behind my head! She is with Jeff, very much like Charlie is with you, as he rescued her and nursed her back to health. She will never be able to fly as her wings had been broken and didn’t heal well enough for her to be able to fly and therefore could not be released back out into the wild. Being next to her, with Jeff holding her, or rather she holding onto Jeff’s “leather gloved” arm, just seemed like all sounds around me just stopped and like there was total silence. And when she turned and gave Jeff a “hug” by burying her head around his neck… Very hard to explain but your description of how you felt with the Eagle flying so close to you and making eye contact with you and how you felt, is probably about the same feelings as I had being next to FREEDOM. WOW~ and to have her come back to see you again, how special is that!
April 14th, 2017 @ 6:22 pm
I loved your recording of the cranes! So neat! Hopefully you can get some photos (from a safe distance, of course!)
Also loved your stories about the bald eagles! They are such majestic birds! I saw one yesterday on my drive to work which really surprised me (I live/work in the Portland metro area). I barely saw it out of my peripheral vision but I know it was a bald eagle. Typically we see osprey in our area, even in the urban environment of the city, but this bird caught my eye because it was much bigger, and I noticed its solid dark body and white head right before I had to turn my attention back to the road. I grew up in the Portland metro area and don’t remember seeing a single bald eagle here, ever! Maybe once out in the rural parts of the state, but never in or near Portland! Your close encounters sound exhilarating!
April 14th, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
I live in SW Florida and we have sand hill cranes. They are protected there. Kind of surprised they’d be in both of our climates.
April 14th, 2017 @ 8:19 pm
Reading this, my spirit just soars! The best birthday present ever. May this be the start of a beautifully magical year for you, Shreve.
Hugs,
T.
April 14th, 2017 @ 9:34 pm
wow – what a treat! and how cool if the cranes stay with you ☺️ and belated happy birthday!
April 15th, 2017 @ 8:40 am
I LOVE Sandhill cranes! You can usually hear them on the river near my mom’s place near Laramie. But they never stay. How wonderful for you! This whole post makes me smile!!! Happy Birthday!
April 15th, 2017 @ 10:10 am
What a wonderfully descriptive post! We can visualize the cranes, the geese, and the eagle. A beautiful birthday present. Happy Birthday, whenever that was. So looking forward to your new book.
April 15th, 2017 @ 1:13 pm
They know your little plot of land is a sanctuary and they are safe.
But I would keep an eye on the chickens if the eagles are feeling there might also be a free meal on top of the peaceful space.
You are obviously giving off a non-threatening vibe.
I was just at our local “lake” (really a large pond made with a little water controlling dam) and saw the ducks of course, some Canadian geese (or some sort of geese) and a cormorant. And pigeons but I ignore them.
We don’t get eagles but you can occasionally see a red-tailed hawk hovering over our small canyons looking for prey. We have an abundance of rabbits this year so I’m hoping the hawks and the coyotes will eat their fill.
April 15th, 2017 @ 4:35 pm
m ~ i would love to see your blog – will you leave a link or email it to me? yay! and thanks.
April 16th, 2017 @ 12:06 am
Happy Birthday, Shreve! Wishing both you and Charlie a wonderful year ahead. (I loved your addition of Emily Dickson’s poem!) Thanks for all you give to us out here who follow you and your blog.
April 16th, 2017 @ 4:10 am
I so love reading your comments!I’m almost there!! Happy belated birthday Shreve
April 17th, 2017 @ 7:54 am
eagles are so very special to me. i got chills reading about your encounter. thrilled for you to have received such gifts!
may your new year continue to be blessed and filled with love. enjoy!
April 17th, 2017 @ 1:04 pm
Wow. Believe it or not? I saw an eagle on my birthday too. Auspiciousness all around….
April 18th, 2017 @ 7:51 pm
I too had a bald eagle fly over my head. Amazing. I feel like she was seeing you as a reflection of her, with your hair and probably a dark shirt. That she wasn’t sure and had to check you out, connect.
I always love the snippets! And Happy Birthday!!
April 19th, 2017 @ 3:43 am
Same post on all three sites.
https://eclecticprogressive.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/get-your-daily-coyote-here/
http://eclecticprogressive.blogspot.com/2017/04/get-your-daily-coyote-here.html
http://the-godiva.livejournal.com/936115.html
My public postings are random, mostly politics and recipes.
I’m thinking of starting a blog strictly about watercolor.