Espying Eagles… Kayaking with the ‘Bird Nerd’

Today, the rain ended. I have been cooped up for the better part of a week, with another week of storms forecasted starting tomorrow.

Of course, I was out in my kayak. The air was so thick with humidity you could see the haze hanging in the air. 

I wasn’t the only one feeling hot and sluggish.

I came across this juvenile bald eagle. I have been watching some of them grow over the past two years, and this was the closest I have ever gotten. Usually, this fella flies off.

Either he is used to me, or he was just feeling the grogginess humidity causes and decided it just wasn’t worth the effort to fly away.

I paddled myself right underneath his perch.

Then, he opened his mouth,

Looked right at me

And hacked up a pellet.

For anyone unaware, many birds of prey will eat their meals whole, bones, feathers, fur and all. The indigestible portions are compacted into a ‘pellet’ in the bird’s stomach/gizzard and then covered with mucous and hacked up and spit back out in a gross glob of goppy gook. 

I had HEARD of this, but never actually WITNESSED it, until NOW.

Not to be graphically disgusting and perverse, but there was something quite fascinating about watching this. Even as the pellet landed plop in the water next to me and sank.

The bird nerd in me was mesmerized by this display.

Satisfied he got it all out, he opened up his wings to cool himself off..

For me, a perfect Sunday morning…….