Eagle’s Nest: Bird and Butterfly Malopolskie Sanctuary
By Robert John Zagar Ph.D., M.P.H. and Agata Karolina Zagar, M.B.A.
For the past many years, on top of our three-story white stone house, with a red aluminum roof, and two red brick chimneys, sits an eagle, who has decided our home is his nest. This Polish brown eagle has a wing span of over a meter. When we wave, he acknowledges our attention by flapping the wings back and forth. This eagle circles in ever wider oval patterns increasing in height, with the summer heat thermals, helping a gentle rise toward the heavens. Other Polish brown and grey eagles visit irregularly during the day.
In the twelve days of Christmas, there is the refrain of “and a dove in a pear tree.” Our three-story pear tree has two dove nests with regular feeding of the chirping and growing chicks.
Nearby in the three-story, Korean pine tree lives swallows, who circle the yard and around the house in ever dizzying intricate patterns, that no human pilot could replicate. These swallows peck at the ground for food or fly over to the bird bath for a sip of clean filtered water or fly over to another tree. At times these curious and inquisitive swallows land on the very top branches, high above the whole estate, looking down like the royals on the earth below.
In the hollow of the apple tree, lives a sparrow family, who have found unique shelter at the trees’ center, where all the large branches bifurcate. The sparrow chicks can be heard all day cryingly requesting to be fed by their parents, who oblige.
In the nearby meadow, and along the forest clad river, lives a pheasant family. The male with black, brown, grey, red and white plumes, is often accompanied by the female with their unusual song and the swooshing sound of a larger flight. Their nest is high in the four-story acacia trees fed by the river waters. These acacia tree branches wave in the wind like large arms welcoming one to the wonderful green spectacle, sprinkled with white blooming furry flowers. It’s amazing how the green tree branches mimic ocean waves crashing on the shore.
In the rising or setting sun, the storks fly into the meadow near the pond. The croaking frogs become silent, lest they become the meal taken back to the stork’s nest high above the local pastor’s rectory and nearby church. It’s amazing to watch how storks cleverly follow the farmer mowing the meadow, to quickly detect and scoop up an errant frog, lizard or mouse that becomes food for the stork babies to quickly grow for the August migration back to central Africa.
In the apple tree, lives the robin family with their nest high above the lawn to avoid the local cats, who will climb up high for a meal of birds or eggs. These red-beaked, golden-breasted, black-feathered robins fly in and out among the dozens of fruit trees and hundreds of nearby pines. They lunch on the cherries at the top of our three-story cherry tree, which has fed many aviary generations.
When a storm approaches, with their unique bird song, the woodpecker family of mom, dad and teenage boy and girl, warn of the impending rain. Of course, when one of us is picking cherries from the three-story tree, high up on a ladder, the woodpecker looks over with a glance as if to say, “What are you doing up here in our territory?”
The brightly colored finches, green, red, or yellow make a stark contrast to many of the other darker colored bird species. They’ve found their next in the eaves of the house but will have to move when the new insulation is installed later, after the summer solstice.
One of the most majestic of the birds is the falcon with its’ unique profile, whether sitting on a tree branch, or flying high overhead, looking for a meal. If one has ever seen an eagle or falcon swoop down from on high, it reminds one of diver bomber planes coming in on a target.
The delicate sand piper is a delight to watch with its minute feet that scamper quickly on the sandy soil and delightful chirps that please the ear. On the other hand, is the quiet owl that sits patiently at night, waiting for some small creature to forget the owl’s silence, and become a tasty morsel for the owl chicks waiting in the nest.
Since we planted milkweed, the monarch butterflies have used this plant to host their eggs, and feed themselves with the nectar. Both bees and butterflies feast on the nectar from the roses, lavender, and other flower nectar. These flowers spread around the yard contrast the trees.
Of course there is the occasional deer, fox, lynx, rabbit, red squirrel or wood chuck, that stroll by to take in the delightful collection of plants and birds that entertain us, throughout the day and night, and across the different seasons. Every year some new animal, bird or plant surprises us with a visit to the eagle’s nest and bird and butterfly sanctuary, our home.
Robert John Zagar PhD MPH is a clinical, forensic, industrial, school, and neuropsychologist, who testified before the US House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security 24 July 2012 about starting the “Summer 1 Chicago jobs program” that targeted 283,599 high risk youth over 16 years with jobs, mentors, anger management, saving $3.6B-$4.9B in insurance victim payouts, preventing 1,156 homicides, lowering shootings 44%, and decreasing violent delinquent offenses 75%. Chicago’s mayor used Robert’s research as basis for the University of Chicago Crime Lab. Pope Francis employed Zagar’s research to make new canonical laws aimed at clerical pedophilia thereby avoiding more impending bankruptcy payouts. Robert graduated from Northwestern University with a doctorate in research design and statistics, a postdoctoral masters in public health, two years each in premedical and basic medical sciences. Zagar taught in a dozen universities and authored over seventy peer reviewed scientific articles.
Agata Karolina Zagar with her triplet sisters starred in a Polish movie while in high school, taught at her local elementary school, and graduated with a bachelor from University of Illinois at Chicago and a masters from Roosevelt University (both degrees in business management). Agata worked at the main headquarters of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) in Toronto.
