A Pair Of Bald Eagles

This last week of 2017 has been frigid and snowy.  Staying inside where it is warm and cozy just seems sensible.  Twice this week Ed and I have seen a pair of bald eagles fly low over the house and garden.  The first time it was sunny and clear, but very, very cold.  We spotted the first bird over the garden.  It was joined by second bird who had been perched in a tree .  The tree is the evergreen  that is separate from the others and has light shining through its branches  in the first picture from Ed's post for today.  Once together the two eagles soared slowly upward over the garden.  Neither bird flapped a wing as they circled with the sun glistening off their white heads and tails.  It was so cold  that the updraft was not very strong and  they did not soar much higher than the house.  Both birds flew directly over the house still riding the wind without flapping a wing.  By the time I got to the North side of the house to look, they had disappeared over the pines in the direction of the river.

Yesterday morning it was snowing very hard.  This time the pair flew low over the house.  One flew into the notch, the other barely cleared the trees on the edge of Amy's high meadow.  Since the snow was heavy enough to obliterate the ridge , they disappeared from sight almost immediately.  Seeing them was a thrilling way to end the year.  I will have a very Happy New Year if they return in 2018.  Eagles in this neck of the woods nest in February.  It would be a real delight if they choose to spend time here. Perhaps the garden will not be so quiet this winter after all!