Astronomy Israel: "I Carried you on Eagles' Wings"

Thursday, April 7, 2011

"I Carried you on Eagles' Wings"

There is a video making the rounds on the Internet that has gone viral, so you may have seen it. If not, you owe it to yourself to. It is a real-time video and audio stream of a pair of Bald Eagles nesting with their young in a huge eagles' nest in north eastern Iowa. It is as grand and awesome as anything you will ever see through a telescope. The eagles are nesting in a huge six foot diameter nest weighing 1 1/2 tons in a tree on private property on a farm in Iowa. There are two cameras just a few feet from the eagles operated by the Raptor Project Trust. The stream operates 24 hours a day, including nights when an infrared camera takes over.

Ustream video stream: http://bit.ly/fJuRMT

So far two of three eggs have hatched, and you can see the eaglets under the mother eagle from time to time as they struggle to peak out or as the mother rearranges the nest. You can also hear them pipping and the wind blowing loudly. It's quite cold where they are. There is one egg left which is due to hatch any day now. The camera will be on these birds the entire time they are being reared so it should be quite an experience.

It is really wonderful to watch the tender care the eagles have for their young. The close-ups of these mighty birds of prey with their fierce eyes, giant hooked beaks and talons are magnificent, anything but the image of tender loving parents. To see the mother as she gently manages the young, settles herself on the nest to keep them under her, and rearranges the nesting materials to keep them warm and covered is as tender and incongruous a picture of motherhood as could be conjured up.

Video screen grab: A Bald Eagle cares for its young, seen peaking out below.

During this week leading to Pesach it puts us in mind of how G-d carried the Children of Israel on Eagles' wings to protect them as they left Egypt:

Exodus 19:4 "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself."

The fierce and mighty eagle tenderly caring for its helpless young as seen in the video is as good an analogy as can be had from nature of G-d caring for his children Israel.