That tell-tale white.....that large presence on the tree branch.  I forget for a moment that I'm in my kayak, as I blissfully look up in admiration at this beautiful, enormous bird of prey in my view.  How lucky are we to live in an area where we can see Bald Eagles - and witness them up close.  I have friends who live on the Chickahominy River in Virginia and can look out their kitchen window to see the Bald Eagles landing in the trees along their property.  While I don't have them right in my backyard, we are fortunate to be able to simply drive to the local Reservoir and revel in their presence.  Today, I feel like the paparazzi.  There's a slight wind and while I'm looking through the lens at the object of my fascination, I've managed to get closer than I realized.   I paddle back away from the shoreline so that I can give this beauty his space. Then I continue on.  Until we meet again around another bend. And so it continues.  Finally by the end of the morning, I've officially declared myself an accidental paparazzi and I make a concerted effort not to show up in the same place at the same time again. ;-)  Read more about the Bald Eagle's resurgence in the Bay Area here....

You may not know what the appearance of a Bald Eagle may mean to you. But for many years I have followed the Shamans' view of nature - that each random appearance has meaning in itself.  For the Bald Eagle, there is a beautiful reference to its meaning and its history here. The fact that the sighting of a Bald Eagle has meaning for us to stretch ourselves - beyond what we may not know that we're capable of - has special meaning for me at this time at work. This sighting - or the many this particular day - certainly gives me pause. I reflect on its meaning and have a profound awareness of it.  I share my gratitude to the eagles who have shown up for me today....and each time that I see one.

I have come to this particular Reservoir many times in the past and am not always fortunate to see a Bald Eagle.  I have, however, had them fly over me "randomly" as I travel the 3 hours from Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia south to my family's home. Each time, I pause. Reflect. And each time it resonates, having meaning to what is happening in my life at that given time.

I just love this time of year - baby birds frantically following their parents, wings aflutter, mouths agape, and those exhausted parents flitting around on the ground, in the trees, at the feeders - anywhere they can find a good food source for their young. This is a time we anxiously await in our home.  Even one of our dogs participates as we help our backyard birds prepare for nest-making.   Contributing his shedding hair to an empty hanging basket, the chickadees and other birds happily take from the basket full of his hair much like we might use our local "Lowes" or "Home Depot".  And then we patiently await the newborn arrivals....

Finally, our patience pays off: the little ones arrive.  We haven't had a chance to spy any actual nests and eggs. But our yard comes alive with the newly-fledged once they bravely leave their nests, eagerly following their parents around the yard. The young are often so awkward - I just love watching all of their "newborn" behaviors as they explore their new world.  Right now, we have new Chickadees, new Lesser Goldfinches, and just this weekend we noticed a new Bewick's Wren chick with its parent.  We also have ​numerous juvenile Dark-eyed Juncos amongst them, scavenging for food, often arguing with one another like typical siblings. They're likely from the same brood - all showing up at the same time in the season, and generally all using the yard for seed-searching.  I always stop and watch in amazement the hard-working parents.  It can't be easy being a bird parent - like any animal or human parent, for that matter. It's a lot of responsibility and a lot of hard work.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to live in harmony with all of these beautiful birds and their young as they begin their new lives. With gratitude to all of these hard-working parents as they bring new life into the world - contributing to the chorus of nature I'm so grateful to be able to enjoy.....

Remember that this is the season of nesting, so be sure to do all of your tree trimming at a later time. You never know what birds may be using your trees and shrubs for their nesting needs. And as always, contact your local wildlife rehabilitator if you find a bird or newborn chick in need. Enjoy the season!!

After a quiet winter and spring in which a few Anna's Hummingbirds would come and go, I was anxious for the Black-chinned Hummingbirds to return in April.  I always look forward to their arrival between 16 and 18 April.  But this year, 18 April came and went with no sign of them. This got me thinking: how much do we really know about their migrations, and what influences their arrival times?  Given how wet and cooler our winter and spring had been, I presume it had an influence on their late arrival.  My research led me to a fascinating discovery: that not only do we understand a lot about bird migrations, we understand with some incredible precision.  It is truly amazing to realize how much we understand.   Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about the many birds above you who are making their long trek to their final destinations, some of which may be many hundreds if not thousands of miles still to go?  It's amazing to think of. And yet, if you're in the U.S. and you'd like to know exactly who is on the move above you during migration time, you can learn that in the "BirdCast". Turns out, just as we have weather forecasts, we have bird movement forecasts! ;-)
​
As I read about the migrations, I sat and wondered what the spring and summer will bring in new arrivals and new offspring. Last year, we had many male and female Black-chinned in the backyard.  We even rescued a tiny baby in our local park. She had clearly fallen from one of the tall redwoods.  I had a bad feeling when I saw her little wing looking a bit 'off', but I took her home and she anxiously fed on all of the flower blooms as I cupped her in my hand and gingerly held her up to each one.  She was absolutely precious!  We let her eat a bit more from the blooms in the yard to give her some energy, not knowing how long she had been without food, then raced her over to our local wildlife rehabilitation facility.  Much to our dismay later in the week we learned that her little wing was unrepairable.  My only consolation was that she didn't have to lay there on the ground, slowly starving but instead could experience the richness of the food from the flowers - just as her mother had taught her - and certainly felt the love from all of us who cared for her for the time that she had left.  Meanwhile, back at home, I was able to bring a smile back to my face as I watched the very tiny but aggressive female Black-chinned who would sit on our light cord under the pergola as her 'throne' and fight off the larger Anna's for a stake at the feeder.  Nothing like Nature to teach you hard lessons, but always bring you back to the present moment. For that, I am always grateful ....

And so finally, on 27 April, I heard the unforgettable little squeak in our backyard! As always, I was thrilled to welcome their return.  This first one is a tiny little guy. And for weeks he has flitted around our backyard flowers, helping himself to the sage, salvia and many other flowers.   ​Welcome back, little one - to you and to all of the many others who brave the long distances to return here each Spring, to eat, fight for your bit of territory, mate and raise your young.  I look forward to the many special moments you will bless us with between now and September when you again must start your long journey back South - and I anxiously watch the calendar to welcome you back 'home' once again.