The Brown Feather

A Story by Pat Gateman

This is a story about bald eagles. To see a picture of a bald eagle, click here.
For a list of interesting bald eagle links, click here.
To meet the author and find out how she came to write this essay, click here.

When he reached the old brick house on the corner, he ran up the steps two at a time and used the brass door knocker. He loved visiting his favorite grandparent because he had so many birds. Some even flew freely about in the house.

After Jeremy's grandfather pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up on his nose and examined the feather, he handed it back to his grandson. "Looks like a genuine Bald Eagle feather you have here, boy. Where on earth did you find it?"

Jeremy's heart did a flip-flop. "Are you sure gramps? I mean how can you be absolutely sure?"

The old man picked up his pipe and tapped it on the table. "Because, my boy, when I was a young whipper-snapper like you I lived in Bald Eagle country. But, he said frowning, "these birds don't live here on the prairies. Must be one that got lost or something."

Then his grandfather took on a far-away look, and Jeremy watched him intently.

"They like to live where there are lots of trees and water. Like in Oregon, where I lived. Alaska, too. I remember when they put on air shows and swooped down from the sky in pairs with their great hooked talons locked together. Some kind of mating ritual, they say."

Jeremy watched a pretty blue budgie land on the old man's head while another perched on his shoulder. "How big are Bald Eagles grampa?" he asked, his voice filled with wonderment.

"Oh, about the size of that old tom cat of yours. Here, why don't you fetch my bird book off the shelf and you can see for yourself," his grandfather said.

"Oh wow!" Jeremy exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the big glossy picture in the book opened on the table. "They sure are awesome, aren't they grampa? But..why do they call them bald? This bird's head is covered with white feathers. It sure don't look bald to me," he said, noticing his grandfather's head shining under the light.

The old bird-watcher explained that it was just a name given to the birds because their heads looked so smooth and white. "They don't start looking that way until they are four or five years old, though. Tail feathers turn white then, too."

Thinking what a good 'back to nature' specimen the feather would make for his school class, Jeremy asked if the big bird was endangered.

"Yes, now that you asked," his grandfather said. "Did I ever tell you about my old hunting friend, Harold? Well, he liked to shoot and stuff animals and birds for a little museum he had. One day, though, he made a big mistake and killed a Bald Eagle. Then, he was fined so dearly he couldn't find enough money to pay it and landed up in jail for a spell. That was the last time Harold ever shot a Bald Eagle, you can be sure of that!" he said with a chuckle.

By the time Jeremy arrived home, he was shocked to find his feather was gone. He had stuck it under a strap on his book bag but the sudden strong wind must have blown it away. Heartbroken, he hurried back down the street, peering behind hedges and up in trees, but he could see nothing. The feather had vanished.

Later, still angry with himself, the 8-year-old boy found his mother sitting at her sewing machine and he poured out the whole sad story. Then he broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

His mother commented softly. "Well, never mind Jeremy, at least you have learned a great deal about a very special bird. Did grandfather also tell you it has been the American National symbol for a very long time?"

The boy's voice quavered. "No! ..but that just makes me feel worse, don't you see?" Tears once again welled up in his eyes. "I was going to use it for 'back to nature' class next week. Now I'll have to find another specimen and I just know I'll never, ever find anything that neat again, never! With that the distraught boy flopped down onto a nearby sofa, buried his face in a cushion and, once again, began sobbing.

"Never mind, son." His mother rested her palm on his shoulder. "Maybe..just maybe we can work something else out." Then, after a brief spell, the answer came. "Jeremy! Why don't you and I make a Bald Eagle costume?"

The boy's tear-stained face brightened. "Oh Mom! do you think we could?" he asked, pushing himself up on the sofa.

"I don't see why not," she said. "Only thing is, we'll have to get that Bald Eagle picture of your grandfather's so we can have something to copy."

"No need for that Mom. I can draw that big bird from memory. Then, after fetching some paper and crayons from the family room, he went to work.

His mom watched proudly as Jeremy drew the slick white head, the broad yellow hooked beak and piercing pale yellow eyes. He coloured the large body dark brown, leaving white tips for the tail feathers. The young artist's work was always a delight to his parents and teachers.

Next, they both went shopping for brown and white satin for the head and the body, at the fabric store. Yellow dye was purchased for colouring an old pair of shoes and also for the beak, to be made from cardboard.

Then his mother began sewing and in no time the costume was ready. When Jeremy tried it on he looked and sounded just like a real Bald Eagle, swooping and making yelping sounds about the house. He dearly loved his costume and wished he didn't have to wait three more days before 'back to nature' class.

To fill in the waiting period, Jeremy went to the library to find out more about his now favorite bird. He was impressed to find the Bald Eagle had a lifespan of 20 years but said 'yuk' when he learned its diet was fish, garbage and..dead animals? He couldn't believe it when he read that their nests are sometimes nine feet across and weigh a ton. 'Wow'! he thought, 'just wait until I tell the kids at school all this stuff.'

When 'back to nature' day finally came, Jeremy created great excitement when he dramatically swooped out of the back cloakroom and flapped to the front of the class in his new costume. Then, when the students calmed down, Mr. Bald Eagle was ready to tell them everything they wanted to know about his majestic friends.

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