Okay, not a proud moment in my life. The other day the kids and I were driving in to town; we popped over a hill and sitting there right in front of us, perched on a road kill raccoon, was a bald eagle. Now this might not be an unusual sighting for some people, but we've only been seeing bald eagles in our area for the past few years - and a sighting this close is still VERY exciting (at least for me.) Exciting, except for the part where the majestic bird, who was not so majestically tearing innards out of a dead animal, was about to go under my bumper.
Luckily I was able to slow enough for him to raise powerfully into the sky and escape certain doom. I frantically tried to direct the kids' attention towards him, but of course they were less than impressed as they don't even understand what the word "Nation" means - let alone "National Bird" or grasp the concept that some birds are spotted less often than sparrows. I was still proud of myself anyway, at both the accidental bird watching victory and at the escaped phone call to the conservation agent explaining the demise of an endangered species. (Are they still endangered??? My killing one probably would have ensured it...)
It was the highlight of my day - until I looked to the other side of the road. The event had taken place right outside of a small country school, and there in the window the face of probably every kid in the school was crammed. Moments ago I'm sure their faces were filled with awe and elation... By the time I spotted them it was a scene of horror and disappointment as the eagle faded farther and farther into the distance. Which only goes to show, when you're on top of the world you'd better look around because your joy is probably sitting right on top of someone else's!
