Sunday, January 29, 2012

An eagle on a winter day

A few blocks from home on a cold January walk, I looked up and saw a bird circling overhead. At first I thought it was a hawk, who dines on rabbits and small rodents that scurry under bushes between the historic houses in our neighborhood. A silhouette is all that could be seen at first.

But then, as it grew larger and closer to our path, we saw that it was an eagle. There have been more and more sightings of eagles along the Fox River in Green Bay. Nan said she had seen an eagle a few blocks from here, but I had not not seen one this far from the De Pere dam which has open water and plenty of fish. The white tail, white head and squarish wings were unmistakable. So was its nonchalance. What happened below it seemed of little concern to the bird.

It circled above us so close that you could see the color of the beak and, perhaps, the eyes looking down at the strange couple who were walking on a late winter afternoon. Most people were warm inside their homes. We were the odd ducks, so to speak. The bird used very little effort to continue a spiral of circles above us and eventually moved farther east, inland. I'm not sure what it was looking for -- no fish available this far away from the frozen river.

I hesitate placing human emotions and logic onto other species, but at the moment, the eagle seemed to be just enjoying the final rays of the winter day. At that moment, it had no primal urges and no needs to satisfy. It was just enjoying a quiet cruise above the tops of the oaks. Not everything we do needs to have a purpose: sometimes a moment away from syllabi, exercises and course readings is as important as putting in an extra hour of studying. As students work toward their courses, program and diplomas, breaks are also important. It allows us to get a better perspective on the work we have to do and the goals we have in mind.