I returned to the park with my camera and Dakota for what I hoped would be another eagle sighting on the marsh. I’d made the necessary adjustments to the camera, undoing what Heidi had done to make me miss my last eagle picture opportunity, and camera in hand, hiked into the marsh for some quiet time and possible nature shots.
The marsh is quite serene. There is no human activity there and only the sound of passing cars some distance away can disturb the tranquility. The sounds of the water fowl and the winds rustling the tall grasses surrounding the marsh are about all you will hear…unless you have Dakota with you. She tends to charge ahead of me and the jingling of her collar and tags alerts the ducks and geese that will kick up a commotion and send anything worth photographing scrambling for cover. On this day, I had her stay behind me, which makes her crazy, as I approached. The thickets making up the portion of the marsh I was entering sheltered me from view and if there was an eagle to be spotted, this I felt was my best opportunity. I stood inside the cover for ten minutes with Dakota standing silently behind me as I scanned the treetops of the forest surrounding the marsh and the dead timber still standing in the marsh. Nothing. Finally, I emerged onto the bank of the marsh and sat on a huge, fallen tree. Dakota leapt over the log and into the water, sending the ducks quacking and into the air. I stayed there for another 30 minutes until dark set in without a sighting. I knew taking Dakota along lessened my chances, but I feel awfully guilty going without her. She’s like a kid in an ice cream store at the park; I’ve never seen such a happy dog and I hate to leave her behind. My next move will probably be an early morning arrival and some quiet time with my camera on this exact perch. There is good cover and it is so peaceful. I know when I sit and wait, something drifts into my line of vision. And even if it doesn’t, there’s nothing nearly so relaxing.
Hike Duration: 45 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 80 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 225.
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