During the sunny spell, I took the old bicycle out for a spin into the country. A few kilometers from where I live is a spot along the Pitt River where bald eagles like to congregate. Sometimes, the sky turns black on account of being so thick with them.
Of interest to bird watchers is a large stand of elm trees that always has an active eagle's nest. The trees grow well within the bounds of private farmland, but there is a good vantage point in an elbow-loke crook of the river. It's a certainty to find birders there with the best cameras and lenses money can buy.
Sure enough, I came upon a very experienced duo, the young man aiming a lens as long as my arm, while the older bearded fellow acted as spotter with a pair of high-power binoculars.
Niether saw the adult male eagle glide silently behind their backs, not twenty feet away. It was so close, I could see its golden eye fix all of us in its gaze.
Of course, I didn't have my camera either, so I missed taking the picture I have sketched, not did I take a picture of the dozen bear droppings I had to steer around in the next kilometer, nor the bear herself gorged on blueberries, nor the completely believable sign saying that the path was closed on account of bear activity (there were droppings right under the sign).
Here's another picture I had to draw because I had left my camera at home, possibly of the very same bear, since this was also the same spot: please click here to see that.
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