A Family’s Eagle Quest

I recently delighted in an encounter with a family–a mother and her two children who had taken a keen interest in birding. The woman brought her kids into the store, a boy and a girl, both under 10 years of age. The siblings had a day off from their northern Illinois school and the three were taking a road trip in search of Bald Eagles. Their destination: nearby Sauk City, where eagles are known to hunt for fish over the open water of the mighty Wisconsin River.

The children approached the display case wide-eyed and jubilant at seeing so many binoculars.  I showed them some of our binoculars for kids, and as they viewed the bird feeders outside the store window, I was impressed at the variety of birds the young children could identify. Their enthusiasm was contagious. It was especially evident as they left, purchases in hand, waving and calling their goodbyes with their mother beaming. They were excited to get going. Bald Eagles awaited.

Originally published on February 7, 2011