Detente

 

3/22/22 Seen through our bathroom window

“Look out your window!” Greg shouted from downstairs, and then I heard him rush out the door (camera in hand, I later realized). A bald eagle was atop a tall tree! I dashed to our downstairs bathroom, where I knew the view would be better, grabbing binoculars from the kitchen on my way.

As I sketched through the binocs, a crow appeared on a higher branch. It made no hostile or aggressive gestures, but they watched each other with mutual wary respect. They stayed that way long after I finished my hasty sketch – maybe as long as 45 minutes. (If I’d known they would stay that long, I would have taken my time!) The part I didn’t witness was what Greg had seen earlier – quite a few hostile dive-bombings by the crow and its mate (see his photo below). Obviously they had a nest nearby and were making sure the eagle wouldn’t get near it.

The eagle is probably one of a pair that live at Green Lake, where I have spotted them occasionally. They don’t often visit Maple Leaf, though!

Photo by Greg Mullin