LOCATING EAGLES: I was asked where to go and how to see eagles: here are my guide lines:

1. gather all the patience you possess

2. have at least 4 hours to spend at one time at one place in one session – I often spend 6-8 hours in the same place

3. have patience

4. plan to be in place 30 minutes before sunrise or 2 hours before sunset; middle of the day is not a good time for seeing any species of birds

5. wear dark clothing

6. have patience

7. go to the nearest boat ramp or fishing access area at any of the larger lakes and large rivers in NC

8. take a chair for the non-eagle quiet times – which is most of the time

9. have patience

10. remember that if you get closer than 300 feet in non-breeding season or 600 feet in breeding season the eagles will leave

11. if you try to get closer than a football field length the eagles will move away that same distance

12. find your place and wait for the eagles to come to you

13. have patience

14. when the eagle appears, enjoy

15. realize that I often spend many hours to get the one shot I have posted – some days I see absolutely no eagles

16. you might want to sharpen your eyes for sighting the various ages of the eagle: go to the Jordan Lake State Park Visitor Center on Hwy 64 west of Apex and test yourself using the eagle photos I have been graced to display there

17. enjoy being out in the wildness of creation and smile when your patience pays off and you get home with a photo of an eagle

18. and really, really light up when you realize you have practiced the most important word that I have stressed: patience

peace and grace, doc ellen

ps: this is Grayced and I practicing patience while waiting for the first birds of the day to the feeders in my yard