Birds of Prey

In gerneral, seeing a bird of prey makes me feel safe and happy. Like it is watching over me... guiding me to my next challenge in life.

The Eagle is more of a symbol. It represents pride and acomplishment of something I have worked hard to do. It also reprents responsibility and duty to continue to better myself as a person and contribute positively to the world. I have only seen an eagle in person a couple times. Mainly on my trip to Alaska which included the most spetacular sighting of my life. It was on the humorously named Homer Spit
, a large sand bar with a small fishing development. I was with my family walking along the Spit and we spoted an eagle coming in from the ocean for a landing. It landed on the beach not far away (the whole place is beach!), so we rushed to go get a look. We stopped a safe distance away to see another eagle on the shore, pecking away at a freshly caught fish. Watching them were dozens of other tourist and locals and a large flock of drooling seagulls all a safe distance away from these powerful birds. Within minutes more eagles joined in on the feast, each taking their turn in the pecking order to slice off a chunk of raw fish before the next would eat. They flew in from miles away, using their keen eyesight to find the action. By the fishes end, there were 10 or so eagles on the beach, just a stones throw away. It was an experience very few get to see, and is something that I will never forget.
Of course there is also the fact that I am an Eagle Scout. I earned the rank at 17 just before I moved to Alabama, by working hard at a goal that I previously though was unreachable. Its the reason I feel responsible to participate in comunity services around the city. And I am proud of it. It is a symbol of personal accoplishment as well as the symbol of our great country.

The Hawk is less of a symbol and more of an omen to me. They are more comon in this area then eagles of course, so I see them frequently, but not all of the time. The perched hawk is watching over me. It assures me that everything is ok and that I am safe. When I see one, all of my worries go away and I become calm and relaxed. The soaring hawk is guiding me. It is leading me to something new.. reminding me to keep my eyes open. A new opertunity, or a potential new friend will be made available sometime in the near future (sounds like a fortune cookie). When I see one I become more aware whats around me, and try to be more open with people. Often its linked to women when I see the hawk gliding through the air, looking for dinner. When I am dating it means that she has something important and new to discuss, or if I am single it means it is a prime night to be on the lookout.

None of the other birds are really omens or sybmols to me, and of course I don't take any of this too seriously... Its just a wierd personal feeling. The Eagle reminds me of who I am, and the Hawk helps me to become who I want to be.