I was sitting here in the snow and a bald eagle landed on a tree.

[roguevalley]

I was typing at my window, watching as our four feet
of snow gets supplemented and a full grown bald eagle
came in for a landing on the top of a tree across the
street.

It was gorgeous. He had his talons out and landed, the
snow falling everywhere and he sat, ruffling his feathers
for a while. Then he flew off.

They are so plentiful up here, hanging around through
the winter. What sort of unusual views do you get
through your window?

RV, enjoying a perk of living in Alaska.

[david_vincent]

1. I have a view of

hundred year old, badly built, impossibly overpriced houses crowded far too close together for comfort.

[Mikimouse]

2. Let's trade places...I'll pay for the privilege!

You live in my favorite place of all time. I have been trying to get back for trhee years, unsuccessfully. Gonna try again though, as I understand that UA-A is lookng for an academic in my discipline (again, new hires don't seem to want to stay long). Where exactly are you in AK? Would enjoy swapping stories with you.:hi:

[roguevalley]

9. I live in Soldotna, on the Kenai Peninsula.

Its about 156 miles south of Anchorage. Its really beautiful. The animals are amazing. I've seen moose in the front yard, wolves and snowy owls, nearly ran over a flight of caribou that were heading
for the brush across the highway. They sort of run like pheasants,
in a straight line. :)

Gorgeous animals.

The weather is getting warmer now and the snow is falling. There
is more snow this year than ever in a few. We usually have easy
winters now because of the global warming.

Come up and take a shot. Alaska is great. They don't care if
you are Ted Bundy's brother as long as you aren't a dork, they'll
accept you as is. Actually, they will accept you anyway. A very
oddly tolerant place, Alaska.

Happy to swap stories with you, hon.

[Mikimouse]

15. Gorgeous area, love it...

I have always said that I left part of my soul in Alaska when I came back here. The closest I came to Soldotna was when I worked the Ninilchik state fair in 2000. If I thought it would grow, I would be growing Fireweed in my planters. The Kenai is absolutely beauthiful, and I am thinking about dragging my wife to see it in the near future. She was not along on that trip, as I was on a university assignment with 'interns' in tow. My favorite side trip was to the Mat-Su valley in July, 2000; lots of Mergansers with young, many fish (the Kings were just finishing their run, and Hatcher Pass was still covered in snow and not passable. However, the mine was open for tourists.

[LiberalFighter]

3. Too bad you didn't take a picture

That would have to be awesome!!!

[bobja]

4. I can sit on my fireside couch and look out my southern window

to see Tijuana, about 22 miles away.

[LuLu550]

5. Right now I'm looking out at a shrub

but I'm at work. The view from my house is the playground of an old school in a small village in upstate New York, right on the Hudson River where we get a few Bald Eagle, too. But they never land outside my window. That must have been too cool! I love birds, but not the cold...so no Alaska for me!

[woofless]

6. They are thick up here too.

Mt. Baker foothills, NW WA state. Just gorgeous.

[nini]

7. I saw this guy in Juneau last summer

he was very far away and that was the clearest shot I could get with my zoom.. Very impressive animals.

[LuLu550]

8. Impressive shot, too!

n/t

[roguevalley]

10. Gorgeous. They aren't very heavy, about 15 or so pounds but they

are hell to hold on to when you have to tag them. They will
bite your head off. But I've seen birds chase them off their
nests by just zooming them. Gorgeous animals, this eagle.

[amazona]

11. nice one but you can keep that snow

I don't get Bald Eagles too often from my window -- probably only 2, 3 times over the past few years. They are more toward the other side of town.

THat said, did you know that some Bald Eagles double dip on the breeding? Our Bald Eagles come to south Louisiana for the winter -- and they build nests and make babies here. In winter! I don't know where they come from, but I assume they also breed somewhere up north in the spring.

My best view today from my window was Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird sitting in my garden.

Edited due to my idiot typoes.

[tomzee]

12. another take...

Come on, knock off the sentimental crap. These are just stupid animals that can't be domesticated or turned into food for McDonald's. Anything that can't be put to utilitarian use in our consumer society isn't worth having around. The sooner we can get rid of these things the quicker we can cut down the forests and get on to the real work of feeding the consumer beast. Call in Dick Cheney. He'll take care of em.

[LuLu550]

14. welcome to DU, tomzee!

you sarcastic person, you! :bounce: :toast:
:toast: :bounce:

[Deesh]

13. Hey roguevalley --

Your post today was a poem, I thought. And a good one to boot.

What a nice present for the rest of us. Thanks.

[northofdenali]

16. Soldotna's a great little town - a friend from high school lives there.

We drove out to Chena Hot Springs the other night, and the northern lights were all over the sky. Their new Ice Hotel is amazing, as well. It's worth the trip up, if you get the chance. Why not come to Fairbanks for the start of the Yukon Quest, and I'll buy the brews!
You're right - "eye candy" is a very special perk of living here, even at 40 below!

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. Just got back in from scrubbing bald eagle shit

off my car. The darn thing decided to roost in a tree right over my car last night and it looked like it snowed when I got up this morning. However, I live in North Central Florida so I knew snow wasn't the problem.

I live on a lake and bald eagles and osprey are common around here. So are the 100 or so gators that live in the lake, a few of them take turns everyday laying out on my dock.

The cormorants and seagulls are in right now. The cormorants dive for fish and the seagulls dive bomb them trying to steal the fish out of their mouths.

Had a white pelican in for about a week. He would come and sit on my dock every morning but I haven't seen him in a couple of days.

Anyway, that's just a sample of what I get to see everyday from my window while I rant and rave against the empire. Not too bad for a city girl who grew up in apartment buildings.