Nature .. You Better Keep An Eye Out For It!

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Molly.. WATCH OUT!!!! ..

Hahaha.. Sort of .. More like I need to be watching out. Here in southern New Jersey, back in the 70's and 80's, we had only one.. ONE! One single, lonesome, Bald Eagles nest. Hard to imagine how close our small part of the world was on the brink of total loss. Flash forward to today and there are now roughly 267-270 active nesting sites here in the south. Amazing! And that includes several nearby to our own back yard.

But more about that in a few ...


First ..

So a few weekends ago, .. I decided it was time to run the rainwater downspout under our new patio walkway. Some of you may question why I did not have it run under the walk before the concrete was poured.. Hey, can we just skip that part? It's really not all that important anyhow. haha. Okay.. I forgot. It was an oversight. Now it needed done before we put new landscaping in and risked water ruining it and washing out dirt and whatever all over the place. Too much water is not a good thing, especially when you have a basement. Getting the water away from the house is a good thing, so I set out to burry the pipe under the ground and walkway.

Here is the unsightly downspout extension I was using for a while. It worked but just looked bad.

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I got out all the tools I would need.. And got to work. It was a tough job to say the least. The ground was extremely hard and compact due to the new walk being installed. I didn't give up and worked at digging a nice sized hole under the concrete for my pipe I worked in short bursts of time, taking time to rest and cool down. I worked from both sides and eventually made it all the way through. I connected the pipe and fit a little pop up thingy on the end. It will allow the water out but keep pests and dirt out.

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Then I backfilled the dirt and the job was finished!

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Molly My Little Non-Helper ..

Well... I suppose one could argue she was there for moral support and supervision. Although I can not ever remember getting into any trouble or needing any supervision over the past many years.. hmmmm. hehehehe. I hope you don't believe that.

Anyhow, Molly was supervising .. Resting in the grass nearby. She just loves laying in the turf, watching whatever is moving around about her, and soaking up the sun. From time to time the breeze will blow and she'll sniff into the air. Sometimes in those moments I think I can see her smiling. She was content ..

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.. And so was I sipping a Guinness. Speaking of which, I haven't had one in over two years. Since I got Covid a few years ago, I lost the taste for beer. I gave it a try this day and was surprised how good it tasted.

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We, Molly and I, Were Just Chillin - Her in the grass and I sippin the beer.

Something Caught My Eye and My Ear ..

A BALD EAGLE!!!

LOOK OUT MOLLY!!!!!!!

Hahaha.. I embellished the story a little. I heard the eagle, looked up and saw it about 75 yards away perched on a tree at the back of our property. We live on a lake and they often sit along the edge looking for their next fish meal. Sometimes we see one, sometimes two or even four or five. It's amazing and makes me so happy that they are flourishing again.

Although they have plenty of food other than small dogs, we still keep a keen eye out for them and keep a close eye on Molly. I would hate for her to become a meal for a hungry bird of prey. So far I think they are more afraid of her than we are of them. They see her strolling a little too close and they fly off in a hurry. So maybe we should really be yelling .. WATCH OUT EAGLES!!! Molly is coming for you!!! haha.

I enjoy watching them but it is very hard to get close enough for a good photo. So for the ones you'll see below, I used my iPhone and held a pair of binoculars up to it. Hey.. it worked for the most part. Not the best photos, but good enough I guess.

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Amazing Nature!

So that's the end of our adventure .. A little bit of work, a little bit of relaxation, a little beer and a Bald Eagle. Nature at it's best making a comeback from a close call with extinction.

Close call Molly..

Close call.

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“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
― Albert Einstein

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Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

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All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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22 comments
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Great job! Looks like it was a lot of work! Bald Eagles are beautiful birds, having one so close by must be cool!

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It was hard work but glad it's over and done. I really should have put it down before the concrete was poured but I forgot. Oh well. Done now.

The eagles are cool. We hear them and then see them flying around. Once we saw the adults teaching the juveniles to hunt. That was really really neat.

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Wow, nice job on the downspout! I need some stuff like that at my house. Perhaps I will just wait until we move into our next house. I was driving down the road one day and almost hit a bald eagle trying to carry a big dead raccoon it picked up off the road. They are strong buggers. I'd keep an extra eye on Molly too!

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My gosh. That's nuts. I once had seen about 20 or so eagles munching on a dead deer carcus. It was a quick drive by but I could see a pecking order of sorts. Some were eating while others were waiting their turn. Lol. Nature is crazy. Glad it wasn't me. Hehehehhe. We watch molly very closely. We are not but feet from her most of the time.

I'll be up to help you with your downspout this weekend. We'll have some burbon too! 😁

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I'm down! I've got a couple bottles I haven't even opened yet. I'm actually surprised the sky was so clear in your photos. I would have guessed you have the Canadian wildfire haze going on like we do.

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All week it was super hazy plus we have our own wildfires burning not far from here. I've been cleaning ash off my truck all week. Then some days it is quite clear.. winds shift a little and it clears up. I wish we lived closer and I would most certainly be over to help .. then whiskey and smoked pork shoulder 😁 😋 😉

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Yeah, we had a 4400 acre fire last week that was pretty bad. It's been so dry everywhere. I'd gladly give you some bourbon and pork for a ride in your jeep!

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That is a decent sized fire. The one here was about the same. 5-6000. An 11 hour ride in the jeep sounds lovely. I think that's about what it takes to get to Grand Rapids from here. I remember because I saw a commercial a few times for there and I googled it at the time. Not saying you live there.. MI is a huge state, but figured close enough. lol

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Yeah, Grand Rapids is about two hours from us. It's a fun town though. It has a big city vibe with lots of cool places to eat. My wife and I go there for concerts occasionally.

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Pepper! I love seeing shots of Pepper.

An eagle would definitely easily carry off Molly, so I'm glad you keep an eye on her out there. Smaller hawks carried off my chickens often. It was traumatic!

Great job on the drain spout. It looks really good.

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Thanks! Job done!
Pepper. My heart STILL aches. Can you believe that? We just adored that little guy. Not a day goes by that we don't wish he was still here. He was a great dog and friend. I know you know what I mean when I say my heart still aches terribly.

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I do know, and believe you entirely. It's the friendship, right in your own home, that is so hard to live without. xo

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Some time ago today, a pipe in our house was damaged in the same way and it was inside the underground wiring, so it was a big problem and everyone worked hard to replace it. As far as I'm concerned, what happens nowadays is to catch pigeons etc. It's not that easy to pick up a dog. Molly looks so cute and innocent.

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I hear ya.. fixing pipes is a pain sometimes. Sounds like your project was more involved. Yes, dogs are a much harder thing to catch and fly off with. We still keep a close eye on her just incase that bird is very hungry. lol.

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It's also good of you to keep watching.

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We've had the same experience re: bald eagle populations here in the valley. We have a raptor rehab person in a nearby town who was the first to breed bald eagles in captivity. It's been due to his efforts (inserting eaglets into existing wild nests) that the population has grown in this area.

And one always can use a good supervisor. I miss mine...

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What a wonderful story about repopulation efforts in your community. Glad there are folks that take the time and make it a life project. They are truly magnificent birds. Molly IS the best super around! lol.

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We appreciate your work and your publication has been hand selected by the geography curation team on behalf of the Amazing Nature Community. Keep up the good work!

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