Embarassment of riches

I guess it's bald eagle season around here or something. There's one soaring over the library now. Over by the river yesterday I saw a bald eagle carrying a branch like some kind of ferocious biblical dove. Apparently it was putting together a nest in a big pine tree behind one of those pretty river road houses. It's all about the water view with these bald eagles, one percenter birds if ever there were any.

Two bald eagles today were flinging about in the wind over the Franklin Ave. bridge. "I don't care." The eagles say to the wind "I've got nowhere to be. I can do this all day."

I like how even though bald eagles are floating all over our skies like so much confetti (as long as that confetti is made with huge sheets of exotic and majestic paper), even though bald eagles are squatted down on riverside branches nibbling on horrible rotted carp, staring their dark stares, even though you can spot them without trying, from the back window of the library, from your car, by looking up, I like how it's still always an event.

"Oh my god! A bald eagle!"

"Really! Where? I haven't seen one for 15 minutes!"

Down by a railing over our river gorge an eagle that looks like some kind of monster vulture is plunked on an oak branch, adjusting its wings and looking irritated, probably at the thick tree branch for having the temerity to sag so heavily underneath it. But really, that eagle could be irritated at everything and anything. If ever there's a bird that looks irritated that's the bald eagle, irritated one percenter birds. Surprisingly though, it does not seem to be irritated at the crowd that has gathered at the railing to watch and photograph it. "Of course everyone is obsessed with me." It says. "Why wouldn't they be? But I'm not going to bother noticing it. I'm an eagle!"

Hey everyone, don't crowd! There's plenty of eagle for everybody! Plus there's an eagle on every block around here, and one up here, and one over there. And that one. Plus there are other birds. Lots of other birds!

Hey, anyone wanna check out these crows?

Anyone?