shanmonster | I Feel Honoured

I skipped Vini yoga today, partially because I don't like Vini yoga, and mostly because I really wanted to go kayaking, instead. So I went, and Dmitri and Linda accompanied me. It was their first time, and man oh man, do they ever need practice! Watching them made me feel pretty darned smug. They knew they were comedy gold though, so it's all ok.

While we were still laughing over a seriously wrong turn on their part, a bald eagle soared high above us, then swooped down and hauled a three-foot eel out of the river. It flapped away carrying its prize and landed on an upturned tree about a hundred feet upstream. I could see its mate sitting there, as well. I wanted a closer look, so I zoomed ahead in my fast little one-man kayak. The bird without the fish jumped up and flapped its way to a nearby tree, but the hunter bird stayed put, picking at its hard-earned meal.

I paddled until I was adjacent to the eagle, and then held my position, about fifteen feet away. The bird watched me warily, but continued eating the eel. I felt honoured to be allowed to watch him dine. As he ate, he turned around on his perch so I could get a good view of him from all angles. The haughty turn of his beak, his piercing golden gaze, and his precision of movement filled me with awe. I also got a kick out of the way the plumage on his legs make him look like he's wearing oversized pants.

Dmitri and Linda finally caught up to me, and crashed their kayak into mine. The eagle wasn't too impressed with this, but still kept eating until we drifted a little too close for his liking. Still carrying his supper, he flapped to a spot that was both higher up and closer to us. He ate some more of the eel, then finally decided he'd be happier further away from us crazy boaters. That's when he beat his huge wings and climbed up higher and higher, then turned off into the woods.

Later on, as we were heading back to the pier, he circled high above us and cried out.

That was one helluva sexy bird!

I want to get a month pass for kayaking. Maybe I'll get to see him more often if I kayak every day. I'll certainly beef up my upper body, at the very least!