Increased eagle sightings exciting for Weaver

Eagle-eyed residents might have joined me in the casual observation that we're seeing a lot more bald eagles this year.

By a lot more, I mean three. Maybe.

But on two separate occasions, I have happened to be outdoors in the general downtown Moses Lake vicinity and spotted a bald eagle or two flying both to and away from the general direction of the lake.

Now, it's possible I'm just seeing the same eagle flying around over and over, but part of me wants to hope this marks the influx of our own invasion of bald eagles.

The town of Homer, Alaska, apparently has so many bald eagles that when the bird was on the endangered species list, the only place it wasn't endangered was Homer, Alaska.

There are so many eagles there, they have to place a ban on eagle feeding, according to a Feb. 18, 2006, story from ABC News, "Symbol of America is One Town's Headache."

I'd love it if my place of residence had the same problem. And that's the reason Homer, Alaska, is one of those places on my list of potential honeymoon sites, once I find Future Bride, whomever that poor girl may be.

I've long been an avid bird enthusiast, and have written in this space about my desire to see snowy owls, bobwhites and many other of our feathered friends.

In fact, during my visit to Florida for my best friend's wedding, I totally freaked him out with my excited declaration every time I spotted a species not native to Washington state.

After eight-plus years of friendship, it's nice to know we can still keep one another on our toes.

But the bald eagle is just about my most favorite animal, period.

I know they have their detractors - doesn't everyone? - who are keeping good company with Benjamin Franklin, but I think even the coldest person would be hard-pressed to deny there's just something awesome, regal and beautiful about the bald eagle, with its white head, brown body, sharp talons and piercing expression.

In my years growing up in Spokane, my family would bundle up each winter and head to Wolf Lodge Bay in Idaho for a day outing, sandwiches in the cooler and binoculars at the ready.

We'd pull off to the side of the road in the good old days before the area was renovated to support more eagle watchers and everything got too commercial, and keep our eyes peeled for little white dots amongst the brown and green trees and the snow-covered ground beneath them.

We'd panic whenever one of us got to what we perceived was too close to the edge of the hills, be it in the vehicle or on foot, and maybe we made a little bit too much fun when someone, referring to those eagles whose heads had not completely turned white yet, used the word "immature" quite a lot, but it really was a formative, fun, familial experience.

Which is probably why I think it's quite cool to see the eagles have apparently started showing up where I live, instead of my having to go to them.