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A few years ago on February 13, my husband and I watched in awe as two adult bald eagles, wingtips nearly touching, soared side by side along the cove. Their beautiful acrobatics continued for some time followed by the pair alighting in a dead pine tree on the opposite side of the shore. They sat on the same branch, only a few feet separating their bodies.Excitedly, I pulled one of my bird behavior books from the shelf and searched for answers to this extraordinary visual display. There were reports that pairing bald eagles will soar together near their nesting site, occasionally chasing one another, diving, and as we had witnessed, locking talons while doing a tumble down, free for all in the sky.
It is a remarkable thing to see, bald eagles locking talons. Their huge, strong bodies rollercoastering through the air, tumbling towards the ocean's surface only to quickly unlock and soar skyward.
During the course of the day, I would grab my binoculars to see if the eagles were still on their mating branch. For over three hours, they remained there looking stoic and proud, seemingly holding court over all life forms and action taking place along the frozen stretch of cove. It was a lovely sight.
The following morning, February 14, my husband handed me a Valentine's card. The painting on the front by a local Maine artist was of a beautiful bald eagle. Inside, my husband's inscription read, "Happy Valentine's Day. Do you know the origins? The Romans believed that St. Valentine's Day was the day that all birds paired. This must be true since only yesterday, the two bald eagles perched together near their nest."
The previous afternoon he had spent hours at the Blue Hill Library looking up the origins of St. Valentine's Day. He was both delighted and surprised when he came across the passage about the pairing of all birds on that one special day of the year. It gave him great pleasure to offer this wonderful pronouncement in my card. When he handed it to me, the look on his face is one I shall never forget - one of pure innocence, great joy, and deep love.
Tomorrow, I will stand at my window looking out across the reach and toward the cove for the eagles. It will be my fifth Valentine's Day without him. Two of those years, again I stood witness to the pair of soaring bald eagles on the day, and a day before. And yet once more, I witnessed the humbling and breathtaking talon lock display.
Perhaps this year, wherever my husband may be, he is pulling strings, or wings, in effort to give the gift of the eagles once again - a Valentine's Day treasure that will always hold court in a very special place in my heart.
