Ben Franklin wasn't happy when the Bald Eagle was chosen as our national bird. He had a low opinion of the species. I thought of Ben a few days ago. On a scouting trip, looking for Snowy Owls (what else?), I came upon a pair of eagles in a plowed field beside a road. They were waiting for traffic to clear before returning to the deer carcass in the ditch, flattened and coming apart. I stopped to watch them return to their lunch, pulling and tugging to rip pieces of meat from the roadkill. This is part of what Franklin wrote to a daughter about these birds: "For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his Living honestly." Yes, it's dirty work, but you know what people say about that -- somebody etc. etc.
