The key difference between "animals" and humans is our desire to always want more. What we have is never enough. This is the reason we have thrift stores, yard sales, storage units, 3 car garages, McMansions and terms like "downsizing", jobs like professional organizers, hoarders and tiny houses. Even animals that defend their territory don't go looking to gain more territory, just defend what they have. For good reason too. If they let other predators into their area then the food source will be diminished and now everyone has to go looking for a new area. This strategy of defending terrain works because it keeps things in balance. Enough pressure to keep prey healthy and thriving so a predator can live in the area for years. Thinking of the concept of communication as a difference, we know there are ample examples of communication in nature and I just filled the bird feeders after 2 days of being empty. There was no bird activity all morning. Then up the ladders to dump some seed. Sit back with a cuppa and watch. A lone chickadee visits and disappears. Honestly, less than 10 mins. later it seems to be raining birds. I doubt they were lurking in the trees watching for the smelly old human to offer free treats, so that chickadee somehow communicated that there was food at the Sumner Lane site. As I said in an earlier post that I wasn't sure both eaglets had fledged, but this proves they have. This pair seems about a week ahead of schedule. Watching them take to wing from the aerie is exciting; so dynamic, so powerful, then smooth and serene. After some showing off they departed to other parts of the lake. I waited in the kayak hoping they would return. It was such a lovely evening sitting back in the setting sun with placid water all around me was not difficult. 20 minutes later, out of that same setting sun that lent comfort and beauty to my experience, came an eagle in silhouette. The other was sure to follow. But no. This was an adult with dinner. Well, no surprise as to what would happen next. Just like when your mom would go grocery shopping and no sooner would she walk in the door than we would be in the bags looking for goodies to eat, the eaglets were a few minutes behind waiting to see what they could eat. Harking back to the words about defending territories, eagles are such a species. They even defend their lake from their own offspring. Harriman Reservoir is 8 miles long and they are the only nesting pair of eagles on it. They produced numerous healthy eaglets over the years. Where have they all gone? Those of us nerdy enough to discuss such things wonder why there are no other nesting pairs in the vicinity. Certainly the lake is big enough for at least one more pair. Obviously we don't know a lot, but do enjoy the show put on by these perennial parents who successfully raise many offspring to populate the east coast with our national symbol.
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Retired Educator
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