You Don’t Write…You Don’t Call…..
There is a line from the western movie “Dances With Wolves”…. in which an old dude stumbles upon a covered wagon of pioneers obviously attacked by Indians and all that remains is remnants of what had been. The old dude mumbles…“Somebody back east is saying, Now Why Don’t He Write?”
As many of my faithful readers are aware, I have been posting about Ozzie and Harriet.
It’s been a little over 1 week since Ozzie the Eagle, of “Ozzie and Harriet” fame….was released from his rehabilitation facilities……(see “featured video” in the upper right corner of my home page if you are not aware of Ozzie’s injury)… but sadly, still no sign of his return to the nest area.
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, who has followed these two majestic eagles through their mate for life experiences, are a bit concerned.
You see, a few weeks after their last two eaglets were born….(one died in the nest), Ozzie met with an accident.
Luckily, Ozzie was found and identified and hopes were high that his “shoulder” injury (with proper care) could heal and he would be able to fly again… and he would reunite with his beloved Harriet in their nest.
However, Harriet did not know what happened to Ozzie… and she stayed mother and father to the last eaglet which stayed with her a little longer than most eaglets would.
Harriet had to fend for herself and her offspring, Eaglet 6 (E6).
All Harriet knew was her mate was gone….she had the instinct to survive and to insure the survival of E6. This motherly instinct overpowered her obvious sorrow over the loss of Ozzie.
True to females everywhere….she became the sole provider and defender of the nest. Harriet could sense the presence of various Eagles entering her territory knowing she could fall prey to any attack. She needed Ozzie.
During the 3 months of Ozzie’s rehabilitation, Harriet scanned the skies for Ozzie daily…but there was no way to let her know that her mate was alive and being cared for in a facility not to far from their breeding grounds.
And then he came along….FV…the younger, Frequent Visitor!
Fans of Ozzie and Harriet’s video cam picked his name. FV….and Harriet allowed the visitation to her nest by this younger stranger. Perhaps she didn’t feel threatened as he was younger than most of the other Eagles circling above her nest.
Fans were concerned about Ozzie and on Father’s Day…a tribute was written:
“The great and mighty Ozzie deserves top honors on Father’s Day. He has been a loyal mate to Harriet and dedicated Father to their offspring over their many years as a bonded pair. Ozzie has displayed fierceness in the protection of his family and territory along with tenderness in caring for his young. He has been an excellent provider and a master nest builder for his family.”
Yes, Ozzie has exhibited his strong ability to persevere in the face of adversity. He supported his family through trials and tribulations in the loss of two of their Eaglets and the daily struggles of Eagle life. Ozzie became a celebrity!
On June 17th, 2015….Ozzie was released from his rehabilitation. He had been flying around his enclosure for several weeks with no sign of weakness in his shoulder.
This majestic eagle took to the skies as soon as the gate was opened for him and he soared to great heights. Onlookers followed and watched as he flew to a familiar perch on a tall pole in his former territory.
We wanted the reunion to happen immediately…we wanted the life long pair to see each other and fly to their nest and continue their journey together. We wanted the happily ever after.
But there has been no reunion. Experts say to be patient. Ozzie needs to “size” up what has been happening in his absence.
Harriet and FV continue their daily routine of hunting/fishing and light “nest”orations.
To make the wait a bit more anxious….lightening damaged the video cams and they will not be able to repaired any time soon.
There are still unknowns…but what we do know is that the great and mighty Ozzie has his freedom to soar the skies once again. What a joy to see.
Spotters who continually watch the nest say there has been no sure sighting of Ozzie!
However, that does not truly mean that Ozzie has left his territory.
This wonderful Eagle has survived for many years relying on his instincts, just as Harriet has relied on hers.
Stay tuned as the saga of this Great Eagle Family continues.
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.