Nearly there

Only one week until I embark on my grand adventure to Belize!  Although I've been gathering things for months, there is still some anxiety about whether I'm truly prepared for this trip.  Even with the required packing list (2 1/2 pages long), online research, and word-of-mouth suggestions from others who have gone, there are just so many unknowns that my Type A brain won't settle.  What if my luggage is lost or delayed?  This has never happened {knock on wood} but there isn't room in my backpack for much more and it already weighs about 15 pounds.  What if the recent spate of crash landings and airline emergencies bodes ill for one of my three flights each way?  I keep telling myself to draw on my British heritage: "Keep Calm and Carry On."    

So this morning I went down by the river to observe the osprey nest before the heat makes sitting outside unbearable.  One of our pre-trip assignments is to get into the habit of using a field journal and set a timer for a 5-minute period outside, then record a variety of sensory details about what we observe.  With the assistance of binoculars, I was pleasantly surprised to count not two but three juveniles, stretching their wings and carrying on in high-pitched squeaks.  I'm amazed at how closely they resemble the adults already.  Perhaps this year's unseasonably warm spring and recent heat wave have worked in their favor.  Their heads are already sporting the distinctive white with brown bars along the eyes, and I can't believe they all fit within the confines of the nest.

Despite my uncomfortable perch, on what had seemed to be a smooth lava outcropping, I had a difficult time tearing myself away.  Those first five minutes stretched...I moved to a nearby park bench...more than twenty minutes later the park trail was beginning to fill up with people walking their dogs and children on scooters.  Most of them continued by without even glancing across the river.  One couple, noticing my binoculars, stopped and asked me what kind of birds were in the nest before continuing on their way.

Finally, I decided it was time to head home and continue my preparations.  If my Belize experience has even a few such times to settle in and bask in the wonder of nature, I'll be just fine. 

The two adults remained perched outside of the nest while the juveniles seemed reluctant to stay still for more than a few minutes at a time.