This time I spotted the bald eagle.  The last time I passed its nest my wife sighted the bald eagle.  I didn’t.  Today when I passed the nest coming home opposite the highway, I looked really hard and there it was:  perched a few feet from its nest.  It was quite a distance away so the bird did not seem that big but its white head was unmistakable.  I am thrilled every time I see that majestic bird.  It did not seem so long ago it was an endangered species.

This was the first time I actually saw a bald eagle alight on his nest and disappear into it.  I assume that (??? was is ???) what it was.  It was definitely a big bird.  The nest can be seen on top of a tree on a cliff adjacent to the highway.  The foliage will hide the nest later on.  The trees were still bare.  When I passed the nest, I noted how close it was to the gas station and restaurant and on the way home I spotted the nest for the first time across the highway.

The only thing I saw on the River was the ubiquitous gull.  I crossed the busy highway to take a closer view of the River but that was all I saw.  With a little luck I thought I might spot one of the bald eagles who nest on the opposite mountain.  Not this time.  I keep looking for them but I never have seen them in the vicinity.

Later on I might occasionally spot a snowy or great egret on the fringes of the nearby islands.  It is still too early in the season for that.  I just wanted to view the expanse of the River.  There were many gulls but that was about it.  They could be found here year around.

Later on I will walk around my land and see what plants are starting to come out of the ground.  The daffodils, of course, are five or six inches tall.  I am wondering whether any of the row of tulips planted last year will come up.  There are always surprises.  Spring is now three weeks and some days away.  We will see what comes up.

I believe it was last Saturday.  We were driving down our road and we spotted a hawk perched high on a tree on our left.  My wife wanted a second look so we turned around and stopped our car at that spot.  The hawk soon after flew away.  It could not tolerate our presence.  My wife saw the red on its tail as it flew away.  It was a red tailed hawk and a juvenile (less than a year old according to my bird book).  Then we got on the main high way along the River and my wife saw two bald eagles soaring high in the sky.  I was disappointed.  I had never seen two at once but only spotted one.  It was a fruitful day birdwatching.  I like surprises and new bird discoveries.

I just got a glimpse of the hawk, which was to the left of me soaring over the Juanita River as I crossed the bridge.  I suspected it might have been a red-tailed hawk.  I did not see much of it.  I just know it was not the common turkey vulture.  It disappeared from view too quickly to make a positive identification.  I love watching hawks float in the currents above.  They are so regal and every once in awhile I spot a bald eagle.  It is always a treat.

Every time I look up at that mountain facing my town I expect to see a bald eagle.  Last summer someone told me that two eagles were nesting there and he had a telescope trained on its nest.

The nameless mountain is across the mile wide River.  Every time I look at the sky and wonder whether I will see at least one and best of all two.  I know they probably fly up and down the River seeking fish for their prey.  I wonder about their young and when they leave the nest.

I keep peering at the sky and wonder how long will it be before I spot one.  Before I moved to this state I had never seen a bald eagle.  Of course, I did not live near mountains and this magnificent River.  I will catch a glimpse of this bird when I least expect it.  I continue to look up the sky and mountains and River.

I was thrilled when one of my neighbors said two bald eagles have a nest only three miles away on the mountain across the River.  He said that a man with a telescope keeps an eye on them and also sometimes they can be seen soaring over the valley.  Now I am going to see if I can spot them with my binoculars.  I can’t wait to see if I have any luck.  I have only seen bald eagles a few times in this area.  Now I will have my eyes open viewing the sky every time I go in that area.

I love my local diner.  For the first five and a half years I did not even set foot in it.  It is a mere three miles from my house.  Finally I started going there.  I was waking up early and frankly was lonely.  My wife was not up yet.

At first, I would just get a cup of coffee there.  I was learning about the lives of the waitresses (I do not like the word server) in dribs and drabs.  I learned that Sharon had almost worked there for thirty years.  She loved what she did.  And there was Jane and others whose lives I slowly entered.

They were making a living from serving me (and others) but it was more than that.  They had running relationships with most of their customers.  The local diner’s rules were pretty relaxed:  I saw customers going in back of the counters and serving themselves coffee because the waitress was just too busy at the moment.

I would sit at the counter taking in all the conversations around me.  You might say I was eavesdropping without being too obvious about it.  I heard some big tales especially about hunting.  This county shuts down when hunting season for deer starts the Monday after Thanksgiving.  In fact, this state ranks two in the nation for bear hunting.  Some of the tidbits and snatches of conversation I heard were fascinating.

I would not talk to too many people.  I could tell some customers, particularly the men, were curious who I was.  I would take my time, let them take me in.  One waitress asked me if I had just moved here.  It was only last summer when my town had their 200 year anniversary.  I realized I had to do things a little differently if I wanted to meet people in this town.

I started watering the plants in the post office and gradually grew to know the postmaster and the other clerk:  we became friends after a period of months.  I would water the plants six days a week.  And not only that, I would run into other people.

I started going to a local church where I felt very comfortable and met people in my community there.  Going to the local diner was just another step in my involvement into the community.

Going to the diner had other ramifications:  I would occasionally go to the the Susquehanna River which was less than an hundred yards away.  I went there today and mist was rising in swirls from the surface of the water.  It took my breath away.  I have spent more time visiting the River in my town since I started going to the diner the last four weeks than in the first five and half years I have lived here.  All because I am occasionally getting my morning coffee at my local diner.

It is an absolutely magnificent River.  It is another world.  You never know what you are going to see there.  It could be a bald eagle or a great egret or some other exotic bird or creature.  Usually when you least expect it.  I missed having being able to walk to it which had been a five minute walk from my house in Duncannon.  Now I am back.  There are so many reasons visiting the diner has changed my life.  Visiting The River is only one reason.