In Loving Memory of Mom Norfolk by by The Eagle Peeps (best value ebook reader TXT) 📕

Pair of Eagles in the Sky

E.G. Strasser

A pair of eagles soared across the Virginia sky so blue.
They nested in a lofty pine like eagles often do.

A camera was put in place to record their daily plight
As millions of us watched them it was an awesome sight.

We watched as eggs were laid in this nest in a depression
We watched the parents bring the food it was quite a procession

When time was right we all observed the banding of the chicks
When the men were done they placed them back in this lofty nest of sticks

Children in the schools watched this with their teachers
Church folks at church could watch it with their preachers.

every thing was fine until one fateful day
Mama eagle had been killed thus taken far away

We saw the news and prayed it wasn't her at all
but in time we knew she had answered to God's call

The eaglets we all wondered who would feed them now
their care would be by humans but where, when and how

The wildlife center rescued them and removed them from the nest
For the tiny eaglets we all felt that this was for the best

The saddest thing we had to see happened on the next day
The father eagle with a fish came to the nest to stay.

There were no eagles in the nest they all had gone away
He stood there staring into space there was nothing to say

We watched this sad pathetic scene as teardrops filled our eyes
Majestic Mama eagle no longer flew the skies.

He dropped the fish upon the nest and then he flew away
I guess he hoped his family would be back there the next day

He did return again where his family once had been
He took the fish as if to say so long to all his kin

with heavy hearts we watched this eagle fly away
and hoped with a new partner he would be back one day

The moderators helped us through these trying days
They really were terrific with their wondrous ways

The eaglets will soon be released and then they will be free
but they have made a place in the hearts of you and me.

INTERVIEW FOR A MATE

by Dad Norfolk as told to Lenora Rodgers

"NEXT!!""Oh, that's me, sir."

"NAME!!!"

"'B-E', sir."
"WHAT??"

"'B-E', sir. That's what they call me."

"WHO NAMES AN EAGLE 'B-E'??!!"

"I don't know, sir. That's the letters on this little metal thingy on my ankle...see? I'm told it stands for ‘Bald Eagle’ but I don't know."

"OK, FORGET THAT...WHERE DO YOU HAIL FROM?"

"Sir?"

"WHERE DO YOU HAIL FROM...WHERE WERE YOU BORN, WHERE DID YOU LIVE BEFORE YOU CAME TO THE NORFOLK BOTANICAL GARDENS?"

"Oh, uh, well, sir, you see it's like this...a few years ago, I lived in a nice comfy nest in Maryland. Mom and Dad were bringing in food every day, my brother and sister had flown off so it was just me. I had mom and dad all to myself, then suddenly one day they stopped bringing food and told me it was time to launch. I didn't know what that meant so dad showed me the branch, so to speak. Next thing I know, Ma and Pa took off together for a nice two week vacation at a fish hatchery down in North Carolina and I was left to fend for myself. I've kicked around on my own for a...."

"ALRIGHT, NEVER MIND, FORGET THAT, TOO. ANY OTHER MATES??"

"Sir?"

"GEEZ... ANY OTHER MATES BEFORE? BOYFRIENDS, ESCORTS, FISHING BUDDIES WITH BENEFITS...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!"

"Oh, uh, no sir."

"THIS IS YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW?"

"Yes, sir."

"HMMM...SO, YOU'VE NEVER EVEN HELPED BUILD A NEST??!! WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THIS POSITION?"

"Sir?"

OH BROTHER, SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM DIRTY BIRDS
..."WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE OVER THOSE OTHER 50 FEMALES LINED UP OVER THERE BY THAT STATUARY?"
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm a loving, caring, eagle. I always stand back and let others fish first. I don't mind taking what is left anywhere. I've shown many juvies how to hunt. I recently spent some time over by the James River. Do you know it? There's this beautiful area called the Westover Plantation. I ran into hundreds of juvies there, many of whom were so immature and needed my help. For example, one day not long ago, these three siblings appeared out of nowhere...breathless, frightened, and asking where someone named Vinny and their tub of water had gone to. I sort of took them under my wings, so to speak. I've spent the last three months teaching them the eagle ropes. They were quick learners. When I was satisfied that they were well on their way, I took off and looked for another place to settle down. Now that I'm 4 1/2 years old, I'm a little old to be hanging out with kids all the time. I was ready to grow up...so here I am. I hope my answers have been satisfactory, sir."

"Sir? Are those tears??"

"AHEM, WELL, UH, NO...THAT IS…I ALWAYS WONDERED…I'M HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME WITH HAY FEVER THIS TIME OF YEAR, THAT‘S ALL." (sniff, sniff).

"TELL YOU WHAT B-E, AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, SEEING AS HOW YOU SEEM TO HAVE ALL THE NURTURING QUALITIES I'M LOOKING FOR IN A LIFE LONG EAGLE SWEETHEART, YOU HANDLE YOURSELF WELL IN AN INTERVIEW, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU TOOK CARE OF MY….I MEAN…YOU’VE PROVEN YOURSELF TO BE A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG EAGLETS
SO …”

“YOU'VE GOT THE JOB!"

"Bless you, sir. I'll get to work on that Mombrella thing right away."

Goodbye

By Lora Lindsey

Like the children I never had, you are loved by me and I know
That the places you have yet to see
Are just waiting out there for you.
How can I say goodbye?
How can I not wish you well?
My insides seem to be tearing apart
My tears continue to flow.
I look at each of you with such joy
Your silly mistakes, your sibling squabbles
You each represent so perfectly
What an eagle should be.
But you don’t belong with us
The wild awaits, the sunsets, the streams and lakes,
The beautiful swaying branches that will hold you.
The chances you will take, the courageous dives and flights you will make
Will be who you become, along with your mate.
So hold your regal head high, and feel that wind on your feathers
Enjoy the flights to come.
Enjoy freedom.
Live as an eagle should live, with wild abandon and with God blessing your journeys, by being the wind beneath your wings. May He keep you safe.

I will always love you, NZ, NX, and NV.
July 2011

Do you remember?

By Lora Lindsey

Mom on the nest………first egg hatching………..second and third little bobbleheads finally visible in nest………..little gray down……..Wonderful mods explaining everything over and over………#3 getting bonked on head by #1 usually……….#3 waiting his turn for food……..getting worried about #3……..Mods reassuring us……..rainstorm………concern for the nest…….Dad rearranging the sticks to build up the sides……how impressed we were………..Mom giving the “look”……….Dad just flying off………..white poo sprayed everywhere but in the nest…….waiting for the nest to level off………THE GREAT ESCAPE……….worrying about #3 some more……fish in the nest without the heads……the great camera work……….the loblolly tree…….babies starting to peek out from under Mom……..flight feathers coming in……..eating and then immediately they were asleep…..watching even when nothing was happening……loving the parents…….loving the babies……..loving the mods…….banding day……treeclimber…….Happy Birthday sign in tree……….new non-names………..NZ, NX, NV……..learning to not humanize them……panning the gardens…….seeing the tram in the background…….checking to see if Dad had brought food…….asking mods when they last ate……….reading the bottom of the screen to see the updates on food, and news of the babies……when BOTH parents left at the same time………how we worried……being reassured that they were closeby in the tree……….hearing that Mom and Dad were having alone time in another tree…….timing them when they were gone ……….big sighs of relief when they flew back……..Mom protecting the babies…….and Dad protecting them by escorting intruders…….Mombrella…….NZ seemingly getting more than her fair share………..being reassured once again by our wonderful mods…….screen shots….feathers coming in….not fitting under Mom, but she kept trying….Mom no longer sitting on nest………..Mom just sitting next to babies………Dad taking his turn everyday……..Dad flying in with huge fish……goose………small fish……….duck……….Mom plucking feathers before feeding them…….eaglets spending more time just growing, eating and sleeping……more and more close-ups of feathers……suddenly they were no longer babies……..tragedy………tears……22,000 readers …..babies in nest, unaware……..babies moved………Dad returns to nest with fish……..more tears……..ceremony ……..meeting new mods at WCV and grateful to have ours from NBG there too……relieved that we still get to see the babies…….missing Dad……..realizing that the right decision was made….Missing the gardens…….missing Dad……..hearing of Dad sightings regularly…….new manmade nest……waiting for fledge……..wingersizing…….hopping and wingersizing………..enclosure with toys………….bear outside the enclosure……..what’s that white round thing on the floor?.........NV falls out of bed……….calls to the office…….”Falling out of bed is NOT an emergency”…….NV fledges to the out of camera range…........NZ “cheats” and makes her way to the perches……….NX watches…….feedings 3 times a day…….weigh ins on Tuesdays at 12:30ish……..high levels of lead…..treatment…….gratitude for being able to continue to follow the 3 babies……….Rock Stars………NBG eaglets……..Eagle Nation………making new friends through all this……..eagle peeps…….nesti ……rats……..fish……….rats………..fish……..picking them up at weigh ins……..catching them at weigh ins……….expanded enclosure…….NZ’s hurt leg……..radiographs…….healing……….the trio back together in new enclosure………KS………..the killer leaf……missing the perch……….handing like bats……….black netting………..adding white netting……perch collapsing…..6000 eagle peeps explaining how to set up the new bathtub…..frustration on part of WCV with us. ..stick in the water…….mantling ……hating humans……..good signs for survival in the wild……….everyone flying…….perching…….A frames……..slamming the cam…….bathing…….identification of the 3 at various stages……….and how it kept changing……never being absolutely sure you knew who was who………loving the eagles…….loving their parents…….making vows to keep watching next year….. dreading the release, and yet being so happy for the eagles………..praying that they all make it to maturity……….Thanking God for this experience.

Just As It Was Always Meant To Be...

by Darlene McNulty

I looked to the clear blue sky, seeing an eagle flying majestically
Her wings spread full as she flew so high, up as far as the eye could see
Over the land she flew with the wind beneath her wings
In just the way it was always meant to be

I watched her grace and it appeared to me, that she had a goal,
Something she had to see. She crossed over water. She crossed over trees
Then lowered her pure white head and searched the land below
She knew this too was just as it was meant to be

Her eyes were intent, so focused on the crowd below.
They laughed & cried. Won’t be long! She heard a soft heart filled cheer
Then the first set of wings took off from the gentle hands
Just the way it was