Mr. Lonely


 
















   Jan and I took the dog out for a walk yesterday. The weather was beautiful, much nicer than some Easter's we've experienced. While we were strolling along the sidewalk we noticed a gathering of bald eagles on the beach. It would have made a perfect picture, but of course I didn't have my camera with me. It never seems to fail. Either I forget to bring it or I bring it and right before I spot an award winning shot, the battery fails. Go figure. We finished our walk and I went home to grab the camera. The battery still had a little juice in it so I figured I'd be in luck. I don't know why I ever feel optimistic. There were six eagles gathered around a fish carcass on the beach when I showed up. It would have been a great picture, however, as soon as my fuzzy head appeared over the horizon, they all scattered like someone had passed gas at a debutante ball. I stood there for a few minutes looking out over the remains of the carcass hoping they might come back to finish it off, but to no avail. I may as well have had on a red and white striped beanie with a strobe light flashing on top warning all winged creatures to avoid the area.
  I was headed back home when I spotted this lone fellow sitting on the pilings down at the fuel dock. Eagles like to sit on these perches looking out over the water waiting for something to ambush. It shouldn't be too much longer before they have plenty to eat. The herring should be coming in to spawn soon, and the commercial halibut season is open now, so there may be something that washes up on the beach for them. I would assume that the black cod season is open also, but I'm not sure. Once black cod starts getting processed at the cold storage there will be a gathering of eagles that will look pretty impressive. The oily offal that gets ground up floats to the surface and all the scavengers have a feast. Of course the seagulls crowd around it like kids at a Chucky Cheese. It gets just about as noisy too. There's food floating all around these birds and they're squawking and carrying on like someone just took the last crescent roll at a Thanksgiving dinner. With all the fighting going on it would seem like they wouldn't get along well enough to mate, but I guess when it comes down to sex, what's a little fish guts between lovers?
  I suppose Mr. Lonely there isn't too worried about anything. He or she looks pretty well fed and with mating season fast approaching he probably needs to rest up. When they mate, eagles fly high up into the air, becoming just little dots to the visible eye. Then they clasp talons and start plummeting to the earth in a circular motion. I'm always a little afraid that they'll get caught up in their passion and forget to look down until it's too late. I've never seen them crash like that, but then I'm not always watching.
  In any event, spring is on the way and with it hopefully lots of fish and new life and romance for all God's creatures. Except sea lions of course.

Comments

  1. AutumnApril 1, 2013 at 11:14 PM

    Ahaha, I got some amazing photos of eagles eating on a deer carcas on the beach, I got just a couple feet away too. Only you! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. T B BottsApril 2, 2013 at 10:18 AM

    I have the same luck with the fish I try to catch.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 2, 2013 at 2:31 PM

    maybe the white flashers with the colorful stripes this year...

    ReplyDelete
  4. T B BottsApril 2, 2013 at 11:11 PM

    Yes perhaps. I hope so anyway. The bad part will be if I start catching on them and then a big sealion rips it off. I'd be a tad upset. I remember when Buffalo Bob thought he had lost his special hoochie Black Max. He was so sad! But it was like a new lease on life when he found it on the other line.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 3, 2013 at 8:07 PM

    the salmon that bit blackmax got off one line and rebit the other line?

    ReplyDelete
  6. T B BottsApril 3, 2013 at 10:44 PM

    No... We were fishing in the bay up near Game pt. Buffalo was in front of me. We were on the radio talking when he said he had a tremendous hit from a big fish. He went outside to crank up the line and the leader was broken. He thought it was the leader that Max was on. When he called me he was really sad. He said "Tom... Max is gone." I felt awful for him. Later when he checked the other side he realized that Black Max was on the other line. He called back all excited and gave me the news.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AutumnApril 4, 2013 at 12:07 AM

    That's sad, but it made me laugh, glad he didn't lose Max!

    ReplyDelete
  8. T B BottsApril 4, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    You and me both. When he left Hoonah he gave Max to me. I had it laminate to a piece of cardboard with a history of BLACK MAX and I have it hanging on the wall of the Bonnie J.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AutumnApril 4, 2013 at 4:41 PM

    Ahaha...nice!

    ReplyDelete

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