Bayfield, Nova Scotia; Where eagles soar
“Is that an eagle?” Shelley asked, pointing upward as we enjoyed the quiet of a deserted Parish Beach in Bayfield, Nova Scotia. I shielded my eyes from the sun and looked up. Sure enough, a large, powerful bald-headed eagle was soaring in wide circles in a clockwise direction. What a view it must be from up there, I thought. Wait, there are two of them.
The second bird was flying at a lower altitude, but remained directly beneath the larger one, even while flying in the opposite counter-clockwise direction. And as the higher eagle moved more to the east, the second followed. Their wings hardly moved as they prescribed their slow circles above the bright blue waters of St. Georges Bay.
In some religions, high-soaring eagles are believed to touch the face of God. Oral histories passed on by the Aztec culture in Mexico suggest that these awesome creatures inspired the location for their capital of Tenochtitlan because it was where the locals saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. This place is now Mexico City.
Eagles can see much better than humans. According to the National Eagle Center, they can spot something the size of a rabbit running at three miles away. They can see straight ahead and to the side simultaneously. (Boy, wouldn’t that come in handy.) When bald eagles dive for prey, they can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour; golden eagles up to 150 mph.
I knew none of this as we sat there mesmerized by the graceful flight of these amazing creatures. It was enough just to watch. To see those massive wings generate lift, slowly pulling them even higher as they headed out over deeper water. It wasn’t too long before our searching eyes lost them in the sun.
I don’t know that there are any great lessons from those brief moments on a lonely beach. It was enough just to remain still and watch nature reveal its magic. To lose ourselves and our present-day worries as two eagles, ancient and modern symbols of strength and power, graced us with their mastery of the sky.
