Waukesha Resident Spots Bald Eagle In Tree: 'That Is Not A Crow'
WAUKESHA, WI — A Waukesha resident spotted a bald eagle in a tree as she drove home on Sunday — the snowy-feathered and white-tailed bird that symbolizes freedom and overcoming hardships.
Liza Davis noticed 15 crows flying low and together, which the registered nurse found unusual because it is not often that so many crows are seen in one location.
"I looked up to see where they all landed. I looked up and thought, 'Whoa! That is not a crow,'" Davis told Patch.
Other neighbors came outside to see what she was looking at and asked if it was a bald eagle.
"It was so crazy and rare to see that in our neighborhood. I couldn't believe my eyes," Davis told said.
Once on the endangered species list, the bald eagle population is now flourishing.
For Davis, the bird represents freedom, overcoming challenges, and rising above the current hardships in the world.
While working in the medical field during the pandemic is challenging, Davis has also faced health challenges and grieved deaths within her family.
Seeing the bird made her appreciate the simple things, she said.
"The realization there is much more out there than the day-to-day that brings us down. It [the bald eagle] is a reminder we can get through the challenges life brings to us," she said.
Davis said the bird is a good reminder, "as humans we get so wrapped up in our world that we forget to look."
Finding peace in nature
Davis posted a video and photos of the bald eagle on the "Wild Birds of Wisconsin" Facebook group, which she joined during the pandemic.
Davis is a nature and wildlife enthusiast. She likes to feed the large group of ducks by a pond near her home. The ducks come up by her bird feeders outside her home.
"I think a lot of us have started taking up bird watching during the pandemic. I kept it up since I love animals," Davis said.
She and her boyfriend Todd, a journalist, started going on daily walks since the pandemic hit in March. Davis said she enjoys being outdoors and seeing what nature has to offer, finding peace and tranquility.
Davis works in triage, answering calls from patients, many of which are coronavirus-related.
"I'm not on the front lines in the hospital. I'm on the front lines out of the hospital," Davis said.
Nurses such as Davis are the ones providing patients guidance on going to the hospital.
"It can be a lot sometimes. You spend a lot of time on the phone with people who are scared and upset. There is a lot of emotion involved, and I give them guidance," she said.
As a nurse, Davis says she has to be grounded and a strong force for others but that it's tough on days when she doesn't feel grounded herself.
"It is part of the job, and you try not to take too much home with you," Davis said.
Animal whisperer
Before working as a nurse, Davis once had aspirations to be a veterinarian. At home, her love for animals is evident with three special-needs cats. One of the cats — rescued from a drainage pond and on the verge of dying — is thriving.
Afraid that a driver might hit the turtle as it tried to get to the marsh area, she stood in the middle of the road and waved her arms at cars going by. A man in a work truck stopped and put an orange cone down to warn other drivers. The turtle couldn't get over the curb, so Davis went into the woods and found a branch to bridge over the curb.
Since joining the Facebook group, she was shocked to discover the different types of creatures around her neck of the woods.
"Anything unusual to me would be cool," Davis told Patch. "I would love to see an owl, but seeing a bald eagle kind of takes the cake."
This article originally appeared on the Waukesha Patch
