Breath

I start in the south lagoon and quickly pass through the east channel of the burial island and poke around in the canals and dead ends of the east marsh. The island that had calved off the the floating cattail mass that was once an island itself, has joined back up, sealing off a 30 foot wide channel.I head north across the bay and into the NE lagoon, where I find one eagle high in the alder trees that sit near the east shore. I don't see the eagles much at this time of year. Their winter food source, coots, are gone and I imagine that they make quick work of ducklings and goslings, if that is what they are eating. Whatever they hunt, they seem to do it efficiently enough that I never see it.

The NE lagoon is bird crazy today with 2 woodpeckers just to my left, the eagle, a great blue heron, and a maze of bird calls coming from the bush in all directions.

I take a deep breath.