It is just after dawn and I am in my favorite place in the world. The creek – Lancaster Creek – the boundary between Richmond and Lancaster Counties on Virginia’s Northern Neck. Winding through the marshes from Chinn’s Mill Pond, opening wider with each meander, it forms a broad protected bay before rounding Pearson’s Island and joining forces with the Rappahannock to flow to the Bay.
Hugging the sandy bank as I paddle round the point, the tree-fringed shore of a small cove comes into view. Osprey perch on crusty pilings and spiral above me. They are worthy subjects in their own right, but this morning my subject is the majestic bald eagle – Halieetus Leucocephalus. From a distance, their white heads appear as tiny white dots embedded in the green and brown pattern of pines and hardwoods. I keep scanning – up, down – side to side. There! Two or three hundred yards away – two spots – one just above the other and to the right. If I can cross the gap before they fly, I may get close enough. I paddle on – with quiet but forceful strokes. Have to get there fast, but not too fast or they will surely take flight. My camera with its ungainly lens rests on my lap.
It was a full year after my first summer on Pearson’s Island before I first saw them. I don’t know why I took the camera with me that day – it was just going to be a paddle up the creek and back. But it’s funny, once you have a camera in your hand, you start to look for new things to point it at. When I first saw the eagles, they were silhouetted against the bright sky on the downriver side of the creek. Probably just two big osprey, I thought, or maybe turkey vultures, perched in a dead tree. But as the angle of the sun became more oblique with each stroke of my paddle – I saw they were different – larger than osprey, and those white heads could only be one thing – bald eagles! Trying not to lose my paddle as I fumbled for the camera, I focused and snapped away. Not much to show for my efforts that first day, but I was hooked. I came back again and again. The more I looked – the more often I saw them. I learned where they liked to roost – I found their nest, and watched for little heads to appear above the rim. I tried different cameras, different lenses, different angles. I learned to anticipate when they would tire of my intrusions and fly off up the narrow run where not even my kayak could take me. It was fun to imagine that they came to recognize me in my slender honey-colored kayak. And I kept taking pictures.
That’s how I came to love these big birds, and the feisty osprey, the cormorant, and the great blue heron with its raucous takeoff, and the little green heron, so shy and skittish. All in my beloved Lancaster Creek. You cannot experience the presence of these creatures in their environment and not be changed. They will make you a conservationist – a protector of the Bay. You may choose just to watch them from afar with binoculars, a spotting scope or your naked eyes. You may be moved to paint them, study them, or, like me, to learn more about photography so that you can preserve your memories. And if you approach them on their terms, if you are patient, they may let you capture a bit of their spirit to share with others. And then you will always look for them – everywhere – in an open patch of sky, a tall pine or a dead oak, along the James River or next to a cornfield or any body of water. Because you will know they are out there, and be grateful.
Back to Top |
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- NECKTALES by Thea Marshall - "Through the Wicket Door, the Wicked and the Pure..."
- BAY HAPPENINGS - Bay Seafood Fest and YMCA's Ball in the Hall coming soon
- Islanders to celebrate Tangier's 400th birthday
- Mystery in Montross
- Architect Larry Gooss transforms a Carters Creek home
- Treasures link Charlie Perkinson of Deltaville and the King of Spain
- Spark Lewis brings an old Potomac River dory back to life
- August Trip – One couple's week-long jaunt down the Chesapeake
- Sailing Instructor Bill Johnson teaches discipline on and off the water
- King Carter Golf Course hosts the VSGA 4-Ball Championship
- Summer seafood recipes by Chef Todd
DOWNLOAD THE
ENTIRE ISSUE HERE
|
