New #5: Eagle Watching

As I'm sure many will be, this new was more of a learning experience than anything else. I had no idea there was so much that goes in to eagle watching! Binoculars, for example, are somewhat crucial. And I, of course, didn't have any. Really, I had no clue what I was doing. But it was still a totally new way to spend my Sunday afternoon.

For years I've heard stories about the bald eagles that fly down to Colorado in flocks, many landing right here in Fort Collins. The tales always seemed a bit like urban legends. These "majestic birds," as they're so frequently called, seemed too ... majestic to fit into our little town. But after enough people reassured me they do indeed vacation in the area, I decided to see the eagles for myself.

Ben, my trusty adventuree, and I picked a sunny Sunday to spy on the birds at Fossil Creek Reservoir. However, the sunshine didn't do much to stop the freezing wind - which brings me to my first lesson in eagle watching: dress in warm clothes.

Not ones to give up, we braved the cold and put our eyes to the sky. Let me tell you, there was a lot happening up there. We must have seen 500 geese, honking, squawking and flying in V's overhead. Oddly, there were a surprising number of small airplanes, too. And what doyaknow? Not five minutes into our journey, a big, golden eagle swooped over the trees. It was really cool! Even though it was far away, you could tell how giant the bird really was. I tried to take a picture of it, which soon taught me lesson No. 2: bird pictures kinda suck without a giant lens. (Just take a look at the photo below as proof).

The first eagle spotting of the day.

Maybe we're greedy eagle watchers, but Ben and I wanted a closer look at the bird. So we hiked down the path to the tree it might have landed in. Sadly, we didn't see a thing. Not sure what to do next, we tried to act like we fit in and casually asked an older couple passing by where the birds were hanging out that day. I don't know if this is acceptable in bird watching code, but they were polite and pointed out five trees around the lake where eagles had been perched.

This information would have been very helpful, except that these trees - let alone the eagles in them - were too far away to see any detail. This brings me to lesson No. 3: bring binoculars. Still, we squinted at these alleged eagle trees with all our might. I swear I saw at least one tiny black spot with a smaller white spot on top that must have been a bald eagle.

During the rest of our adventure, the birds must have taken pity on us. About four of them flew overhead so we could get a quick glance of their glory before soaring away. They really are amazing, and I wish we'd had a way to see them up close. But at least now, when eagle watching isn't so new to me anymore, I'll know what it takes to get a better view.

Can you spot the eagle in this picture? Hint: It's that tiny speck in the tree.