Category Archives: animal poem

The Eagles Have Landed…

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800px-bald_eagle_fish

THE DECORAH EAGLES…JOIN THE FAN CLUB!

The eagles landed some time ago and have carefully rebuilt and replenished their nest. I am referring to the now famous Deborah Eagles out in Iowa. For several years now, I’ve been one of their fans watching the live camera feed. The first egg has been laid, and the camera is showing mom sitting on it as the wild winds blow past here high up in a cottonwood tree.

eggshell2

The first egg was laid a day ago. It will hatch in 35-39 days if all goes well.

eagles together close up of egg

Watch it, if you dare. You just might get hooked on this fascinating bit of eavesdropping.

Raptor Resource Project Decorah Eagle Cam, Decorah, IA

***LIVE CAMERA LINK:  http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/decorah_eagle_xcel.html

The following information comes from a main site, The Deborah Eagles:       http://www.thedecoraheagles.com:

Bob Anderson, the founder and director of Raptor Resource Project, operates the organization from the town of Decorah.

For more information about the Decorah Eagles, browse to their UStream live camera link, and scroll down below the camera feed. You will find many links, with lots to read about them there.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Raptor Resource Project Information    

There is no better place to go for information about the Decorah Eagles, or eagles in general, than the forums of the Raptor Resource Project. Chat and Forum Moderators, who volunteer for RRP, have put together an excellent collection of information. Here is the link to that page: 
http://www.raptorresource.org/forum/index.php/board,31.0.htmlThis next link is to the blog of the Raptor Resource Project. On this blog they post recent information, as well as useful and interesting facts:
http://raptorresource.blogspot.com/

The Raptor Resource Project also maintains a Facebook page and posts most information and updates there as well. That page can be viewed without a Facebook account. Follow this link: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Raptor-Resource-Project/103786266324668

[All citations from: http://www.thedecoraheagles.com]
 

I first watched them in 2011 and was fascinated by the eagles but also by the avid eagle watchers. I learned more about eagles and raptors than I thought I would. For instance, this first egg that was just laid will hatch in 35-39 days. These particular nesting eagles have been very successful, very attentive parents. If you have children or grandchildren, nieces or nephews or if you teach, I can’t recommend this more highly. Technology gives us a beautiful glimpse into the world of these powerful, beautiful birds.
 
And, since this is my poetry blog, here’s my poem that I wrote for the first eagles I watched learning to fly. Hard to imagine that they need to “learn” but they do indeed. My poem is dedicated to the eagles.
 
out of the nest

And Then It Flew

Older by only days, the first-born eagle
Was the first to branch, the first to fly~

Young eyes studying the world beyond the tree,
It now stood on a limb, lifting its wings over

And over, learning how to battle erratic gusts,
Learning how to channel the waiting wind,

Understanding now what it would be like to fly.
Again and again, those powerful wings fluttered,

Starting and stopping, gaining strength and nerve,
Gathering courage for that first awkward jump

Until one morning it lifted off the branch and flew,
Joining its parents in capturing the wind, trusting

That once it had made that leap, it too would fly.

His first flight.

His first flight.

Donut Dog ~ a Visual Poem

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Katy, my donut dog, deep in sleep.

Katy, my donut dog, deep in sleep.

One of the great joys in life is owning a dog you absolutely adore. For me that is my sweet seven year old yellow Labrador retriever, Katy. We got Katy as a one year old rescue dog from the wonderful rescue group, Saving Grace, in North Carolina. She surprised us by chewing just about everything including more than one down-filled pillow. (Did you know that a down pillow contains a million and a half down feathers? Neither did I until I had to clean up the ‘snow filled’ house on several occasions.) Seriously, we quickly found out that this bundle of energy needed really long, hard exercise. For Katy, this came in the activity of fetching. Even today she still runs so fast that people comment on it. And she fetches until you stop throwing the tennis ball. My neighbors are used to dropping off bags of used tennis balls, all for Katy’s pleasure. She definitely has her fans. Who can resist a lovely, very silly dog who won’t live without her beloved tennis ball?

This poem is my tribute to my dear Katy. As you can see from the picture above, she loves to curl up like a donut (what dog doesn’t love this position?).

Donut Dog by Mary Kendall

Donut Dog by Mary Kendall

Eye on the prize!

Eye on the prize!

A ball is always close by.

A ball is always close by.

Even old tennis balls need a nap.

Even old tennis balls need a nap.

The First Coyote

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The First Coyote

Shadowed by trees, it was alert,
Watching those on the porch.
Tall, thin, a knife sharp gaze,
This coyote knew its way around.

The startled man cradled the cat
And called the nervous dogs back
Inside the house, far away from
This lurker in the evening woods.

Was it waiting for a squirrel or
Rabbit? You couldn’t tell this far
Away, yet clearly it was patient
And after tonight’s dinner.

How else could it survive
If not for foraging here and
There, waiting for a quick
Capture, meat for a day or two.

This was the first coyote seen
In the neighborhood, and now
I open the window late at night
To listen to it sing to the moon.