Of Eagles and Sparrows

Soaring majesty -- adult Eagles flying overhead, teaching their young to catch the wind. I relished the sight one day last week as I walked along bluffs above the Lake Erie shoreline a few miles from my home. Although not as rare as they use to be, I am thrilled every time I see an Eagle in my area.

Quickly, I shot pictures of them gliding and diving. The two youngsters, almost as large as their parents but still in their juvenile plumage, dutifully practiced directly above me.

I saw other birds that morning -- Red Tailed and Cooper's hawks, warblers, a Cormorant, and more -- but it was the Eagles and the chance to photograph them that "made my day!"

The following day, as I went to feed the fish in my water-garden, I discovered an immature house sparrow floundering in the water. He splashed furiously, desperately trying to get out of the little pool, but his water-logged feathers kept him from escaping. Apparently a heavy gust of wind had pushed him off a nearby feeder. I grabbed a small net, scooped him out, and placed him on the ground under a bush.

He was just a little sparrow. There are so many that some people consider House Sparrows a nuisance. They build nests in eves and gutters, leave white splots of droppings on our cars and decks, but I could not let the little guy suffer.

When I checked on him about ten minutes later, he had not moved. His eyes were glazed and it was evident that he was cold in the late afternoon chill. Without more intervention, he would not survive. I lined a shoebox with a towel. He fought me as I lifted him into the makeshift nest -- a good sign.

If took about 45 minutes, but finally the blotting action of the towel and the warmth of my kitchen restored him. He hopped to the edge of the box which I took out to the porch. It only took a moment for him to sense his freedom and fly away.

I didn't think to take his picture -- he was just a sparrow. Yet now, a week or so later, I know that after a while I probably will not think about the Eagles unless I look at the snapshots I took of them. But the little sparrow, with no recorded image, will frequently be pictured in my mind for he reminded my of a valuable lesson. The Bible says that even an insignificant sparrow "shall not fall on the ground" without God being with Him (see Matthew 10:29). The same passage reminds me to "fear not because you are more valuable than many sparrows" (verse 31).

I find great comfort in knowing that -- especially when I am floundering in the pool of life.

North Coast

Ohio?? Yawnnnn. I'm afraid that's reaction of many who are unfamiliar with the state.

Ohio?? Isn't that just the east end of the Midwest's farm prairies? A state flanked near its corners with struggling industrial cities -- Toledo in the northwest, Cleveland in the northeast, Youngstown near the southeast, and Cincinnati in the southwest -- and the state capital Columbus in the center, surrounded by that noted, flat farmland?

Yes, while that description is true, it is incomplete. Many places are scenic and wooded. Water falls frequently spill over rock ledges as creeks and rivers make their ultimate way toward the Ohio River or Lake Erie.

Ahh, Lake Erie. One of my favorite places. I love to drive along or hike it's miles of beaches that trace the north coast of the United States border in Ohio's northeast. Often the beaches yield to high, rocky bluffs, or woods of mixed hardwoods and evergreens. Marinas, industrial ports, and lighthouses surround the harbors of major rivers flowing into the Lake.

On a beautiful autumn day last week, I drove the north coast from east of Cleveland to the Pennsylvania border. Stops along the way gave great views of turquoise-blue waters fringed by beaches of golden sand. Marine birds competed with anglers for their daily quota of fish. Pleasure boats rigged in white sails captured the wind, while freighters emitting plumes of steam reminded me that this is a workers lake, too.

Ohio North Coast pictures