I had been watching a great blue heron on the shoreline fishing. Suddenly the fish were forgotten as the great blue heron looked almost straight up. I looked up too. The fledgling eagle looked down, seemed to not be impressed with the great blue heron and the eaglet flew on.

Against the sunrise softness flows the stiff shine of feathers and the sharpness of beak and talons. Purpose relentlessly driving the 7-8 month old fledgling toward another day of fishing. And, I hope, a day closer to making it through that most dangerous year of life for a bald eagle: its first year of tasting the wind. Fly youngster, fly!

This youngster had his eye on the fish and successfully caught his mid-morning snack.