balden* eagle weekend

It was Eagles in Flight Weekend again at Turkey Run, and this year, we had bonus fun because Johnny, Erin, Lucy, Richie, and Jesse joined us for the festivities! We got there Friday night, and all the cousins got to eat pizza and play in the (freezing!) pool together (this was definitely on all their lists). Saturday morning, we were up before the sun to go to the covered bridge to watch the eagles wake up. We saw a good number of them (more than a dozen, for sure), though not as many and not as close as last year. The weather has been so weird this year, though, and I'm sure that has had an effect. After breakfast at the inn and a stop in the game room (where Max let a delighted Richie win at air hockey), Lucy, Liam, and Max decided to come with me and Mike to go see a presentation on eagles, so she got to see a huge eagle pretty close up. This particular eagle had been injured when it was young, so one of its wings was permanently damaged, and it couldn't be released back into the wild. Sad, but a perfect illustration of why we need scientific organizations that can provide the care these special birds need.

The highlight of the day BY FAR came in the afternoon, when the other Forts joined us for a hike. It was the first time hiking for Lucy, Richie, and Jesse, and my boys were puffed up with pride at getting to be their guides. Meanwhile, the littler kids were pretty excited that the big kids were giving them such personal attention, so it worked out perfectly. They got to climb and jump and run around and explore, and if I'm not mistaken, I think they've got the hiking bug now too. I foresee much of this in our future.

Erin and Johnny headed home after that, but we stayed one more night, did a lot more hiking, saw a great number of birds, and went to a presentation on birds of prey that was fascinating and funny and really insightful. The speaker was the best sort, slipping serious and important truths in with funny stories about how turkey vultures poop on their legs to clean them (gross!). The thing that resonated most with me was when he reminded us of this fact: The greater the diversity, the healthier the ecosystem. And I don't think he was just talking about animals, if you catch my drift. I might have just found my life's new mission statement.

* "Balden" is Lucy's portmanteau combining bald and golden eagles. I love kid language!