“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
– Mary Oliver
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On a recent walk in Anderson Marsh I took in the peaceful stillness and noted the surrounding hills that reflected fall's tones.
There is a waning sweetness attached to fall's vibrancy now. Searching the wide polished sky, I noted a kettle of turkey vultures circling above the grassland, just beyond the ranch house.
On the ground below the cauldron of giants was a bird intent on feeding. Wondering what was on their menu, I zoomed in on the bird with my binoculars to spy on its banquet. On closer inspection, the feeding bird was not one of the vultures, but a golden eagle feeding on a Canada goose!
Staring in voiceless wonder, I watched, transfixed at the eagle as it pulled downy feathers from its prey, cast them aside and fed heartily.
The differing habitats at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park support a wide variety of bird life and wildlife.
The golden eagle is only one of many bird species found here. In the marsh you will see gulls, mallards, double-crested cormorants, terns, grebes, coots, yellow-headed blackbirds and marsh wrens.
In the riparian woodlands here you can seek out red-shoulder hawks, American crows, northern orioles and great blue herons.
Such diversity of habitats here is the reason you will be privy to ever more species of birds and wildlife.
The oak woodlands and grasslands are amazing resources for sustaining western meadowlarks, sparrows, kites American kestrels and more.
The golden eagle belongs to a group called 'booted eagles', due to the feathery pantaloons over their legs.
The golden eagle has a reputation for being one of the most magnificent of the eagles and raptors, with a wingspan that has a range of more than 7 feet.
When flying, golden eagles can be seen forming a “V” with their wide wingspan, and often flap with a 6/8 beat cadence. Their territories may range up to 77 square miles, where they are found to nest in cliffs and lofty places.
Golden eagles' mates are theirs for many years, or, it is believed, for life. The birds soaring above the golden eagle in the shimmering blue soon left for greener pastures.
However, a lone Canada goose made wide loops above the marsh and the terrible beauty of the feasting bald eagle below, while I anthropomorphize its mourning nearby.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
The Living Landscape: The golden eagle
- Kathleen Scavone
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