No Harm, No Fowl

If feathered crops are full.

Friends,

Come hungrier days, there’ll be war around here, as bald eagles attack ducks and geese in the air, on ponds, and in fields around our place.

They’ll strike swans, too. Though harder to take down than smaller waterfowl, a thirty pound trumpeter makes a mighty fine meal.

Plenty of them will compete. An army of the apex predators has flown in from Canada and Alaska to join our year-round population of baldies.

The newcomers are noisier than the locals. Yesterday I heard the raptors’ distinctive cries, grabbed my camera, and located two pairs in adjacent trees. In one fir, a showy female perched up top. Her smaller mate, a few branches down.

A hundred yards away, two more.

Both skittish, despite my distance and long lens.

Meanwhile, trumpeter swans—and their music—headed our way.

In tight, talkative families.

Whether eagles or swans, they’re all snowbirds, wintering here, where the water isn’t always frozen, and where farmers leave gleanings in their fields for carnivores and herbivores alike. (Ask me about that next time you’re over. :)

Because they do, we occasionally see instincts defied . . .

and a verse, played out in soggy pasture:

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” —Ro 12:18

Fifty eagles in that field, at least . . . and probably a hundred swans,

lolling like Alaskans on Kauai.

While wind blew sleet on my camera optics.

Oh, for a beanie and gloves.

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“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” —1 Cor 2:9

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📙📚📙 And some BOOKISH STUFF:

If you have booklovers in your circle, you can land their Christmas gifts in one fell swoop . . .

If you win.

It’s the last call for the GIVEAWAY I told you about last week. It ends two days from now, on November 11.

Click the image below to enter for one of 4 prizes:

Here’s the gist again:

*CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS!*

Welcome to the Reader's Wonderland Giveaway! ♡

A large group of us authors are teaming up to bless FOUR WINNERS in a READER'S WONDERLAND GIVEAWAY!

All you have to do is enter your email for a chance to win! That's it!

** ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY IS SIMPLE - Sign up with your email for a chance to win one of FOUR prizes:

Prize #1: Wonderland Book Bundle #1 including 13 fiction and nonfiction books (worth $250+)!

Prize #2 Wonderland Book Bundle #2 including 13 fiction and nonfiction books (worth $250+)!

Prize #3: $200 Amazon Gift Card

Prize #4: $200 Amazon Gift Card

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:  https://kingsumo.com/g/3z9qzem/a-readers-wonderland-giveaway—or click the image below.

** Want to increase your chances of winning??  For additional entries, return to the link anytime before NOVEMBER 11 to FOLLOW, LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO the participating authors. You’ll see the list when you enter.

📙📙📙 IMPORTANT! The Reader's Wonderland Giveaway runs 11/4-11/11. Random winners will be selected via KingSumo on 11/12 and notified within 48 hours. This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by anyone but the bunch of us. By entering the giveaway you agree to receive emails from the contributing authors as part of their email list, but feel free to unsubscribe at any time. All winners must confirm their emails via KingSumo's confirmation email. We reserve the right to make sure each winner's email address is valid. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. US Residents only. Must be 21+ years of age to participate.
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I’ll announce the winners here, too. . . and so hope they include YOU!

BTW, my bedside light turned into a moth this morning. No more larva lamps for me. 🐛

Love,

Cheryl