Mike and I took our annual trip to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to see the bald eagles that visit there each and every year. A short 30 mile drive from our house on a wintry morning. Perfect. I was so excited when I heard the count was up to 213 I could hardly sleep for a couple of nights. I am glad I didn't have to wait a week before I could go. I would have been sleep deprived. I love viewing these majestic birds. Of course I always think about Isaiah 40:31. Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint. What do birds do when they soar? They use the air currents, not their own power, to move gracefully through the air. If we put our trust in God we can soar too. Not on our own power but with God's power guiding us though our life. That's a good thing.
Christmas music all the way in the car. Singing until my voice was tired. Snowy roads. Anticipation.
When we first got here the eagles were flying all over the place above us. I don't have the right camera lens to capture them in flight. I was hard to find them. They move when they fly. I tried. I put in pictures that were a bit blurry just so I could remember. Lots of white in the sky and in the trees. It snowed, it does that in the winter.
Got this one nabbing a fish!
We saw lots of eagles flying over us. They really have to land to get pictures. Mike forgot his binoculars and there was talk about going all the way home to get them. We didn't have to go back. We were able to watch them land in the trees. Mike has an EAGLE eye and he found them in his spotting scope.
Of course walking on the windy, slick road is an effective way to find the eagles too. There were no close calls with cars.
We would drive along the road and Mike was able to spot the eagles. Pull over, set up the scope, view the eagles and take some pictures through the scope. I would say there was about a three mile stretch along the road where we could spot eagles. We didn't need to drive any farther.
Mountain Mike at his finest! I just love him.
At times we could even hear them screeching. Talking about joy! It was joyful.
We would hop back in the car and drive a little more and Mike would find another eagle perched in a tree.
Two sets of warmers in my boots, hand warmers and a ski jacket. It was still cold but it was a great adventure. You can see the road behind me. Two windy lanes, but people for the most part drove slowly. There weren't many eagle watchers when we got there but they came.
The circle is from the spotting scope.
The eagle on the left looks much older then the eagle on the right.
The same eagle on the left. A life well lived!
Just scenery.
We must have taken 20 pictures of this bird. Way too blurry. Not sure why they were blurry but this picture is OK. Floating next to the tree! On a branch, I know.
We packed things up and guess what! Mike spotted another eagle! Out came the scope.
Then this! Swooping down grabbing a fish and heading to a tree to eat!
And then a somersault! I didn't know birds did that!
Back upright! Just kidding. There was no somersault.
Next stop lunch was Jimmy's for lunch! Nothing healthy to eat at Jimmy's. Good home cooked food! Made from scratch. We did get there 15 minutes before closing. Oops.
Happiness! I feel just like a little kid when I get to have these adventures!
Mike did this. He mentioned something about me always taking pictures of him eating. I didn't really get that. Do I do that? He snapped me eating. I was forced to put this picture in the blog.
I feel so excited when we go see the eagles. Time with Mike, God's beautiful mountains full of snow and then there are the eagles! A perfect day! Really what more could a girl ask for. It's the simple things. Seeing a huge eagle fly overhead, land in a tree and eat a fish! Life is good!
