Solstice

As some of you may know, today is Solstice. Solstice is also the first day of winter. It happens twice a year, once on the first day of summer and once on the first day of winter. In summer it would be a northern solstice, this means the sun reaches its highest arch and the sun is the most high on that day also this is the longest day of the year. In winter it would be a southern solstice, this means the sun reaches its lowest arch and the sun is at its lowest, also its the shortest day of the year. That's about all I learned from research, so I'll move on to a different subject. The bird of the day or in this case the bird of the weekend is the Bald Eagle or Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The fierce aspect of the grand North American raptor, so clearly on display here as it swoops in on an icebound fish, makes this bird a fitting choice for our national symbol. After spending many decades on the endangered species list, it has made a welcome comback in the lower 48 states in the past 20 years. It has always been abundant in Alaska, where this photo was taken. Bald Eagles acquire their adult white-headed plumage after four years. Arthur Morris, USA
Goodbye,
Birdman