Children

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The Adventures of Eddy Eagle

Our story begins high in an old Pine tree, where there is a huge Eagle's nest. It has been used for
many years, by a pair of Bald Eagles. Each year they have added to the nest, not knowing, the roots of
old tree were becoming rotten and weak. The eaglets are ready to hatch and begin their journey
through life.
Meet 'Eddy Eagle' and go with him as he tries to become a big eagle.
"Help, help, let me out of here, I am so cramped in here I can't move. I need to get out of this place.
It's so dark, hot and cramped. Maybe if I pound on the top long enough it will break open. How did I
get in this mess anyway?"
Peck, peck, peck, peck, "Open up and let me out! I need room to move, and stretch. Open up I say,"
Peck, peck, wiggle, and squirm, "I will get out, if it's the last thing I do."
Cr-a-ck, cr-ack, "Boy that fresh air is good, I can move now, that is so much better. If I can just stand
up now, I'll have a look around. I wonder what this place is? I seem to hear pecking from somewhere.
My goodness, there is someone else wanting out too!"
" Boy am I hungry, if I can just get my legs to work maybe I can find some food. Move over will
you, there that's better. All at once a huge bird flies down and lands on the giant nest. Mama eagle has
food for the baby. 'Hi Eddy' she says as she tears the food up and feeds Eddy, he is too busy eating to
notice the dark cloud in the sky. If there had not been babies in the nest, mom would have flown above
the cloud until it was over. Now she will protect her babies.
She sets down in the nest, covers them with her wings, to keep them warm and protected. Eddy felt
safe, his tummy was full so he went to sleep.
The winds became fierce and cold, rain beat down at first then it began to snow. All night the mother
eagle protected her young, morning came and still the nest was protected. She would shake off the
snow and settle back down. This was a late blizzard, the winds howled, a cracking sound was heard
above the howl of the wind. All at once a large crash, then silence, the wind seemed to have worn it
self out. The old tree could stand no longer and had fallen taking the Eagle's nest with it.
Eddy eagle was safe under his mother, she had held on to the nest as the tree toppled, but the fall
had killed her. So who would feed him and protect him? Father eagle might feed him, but he couldn't
keep him safe as he hunted for food. He couldn't carry him with him and he didn't have time to build
another nest. Eddy was too young to ride on fathers' back to another nest anyway.
Eddy didn't know it yet but he was in big trouble, he needed help. He needed a lot of help, not far
from all this a mountain lion had her den and she was there with newborn babies. She would be out
soon looking for food. The eagle had stolen food from her a few times when she was careless. The big
cat would love to feast on eagle this day.
Under the mother eagle, Eddy had been awakened when the nest hit the ground; but the nest was
well made and padded with a lot of feathers and other soft downy things. The other egg had not been
broken. The mother eagle setting on top of them had protected her young. Eddy settled down to finish
his nap not knowing the danger he was in.
Down the mountain, a game warden was preparing to head out to see what damage the late storm
had done. He knew the animals were having their babies, and the eagles and other birds were hatching
their young birds. Sometimes a late storm can cause babies to die and he wanted to see if he could keep
this from happening. Would he find Eddy in time?
Back at the lion den, mother lion was getting hungry. She had fed her kittens and bathed them, as
they settled in for a long nap, she crawled out and stretched. She was surprised at the late snow, and
decided to hurry with her hunting. Then as she started to circle around the mountain she heard a truck
engine. The ranger was coming her way she turned and went back into her den. She would keep her
babies warm while the man was out her way, then she would eat.
Eddy was safe for a little longer. The ranger stopped to check on other dens, he the lion would have
her babies soon but he wasn't sure where. He found baby coyotes, even a fox den. Then he decided he
had better check on the eagle tree, he knew it was old, and the wind had blown very hard. The ranger
isn't too surprised to not see the tree standing as he turned toward it.
Oh, no, a wolf is headed Eddy's way. Will the ranger get there in time to save him? Eddy wakes up
to the sound of danger, there is nothing he can do but wait. He can hear something scratching and
sniffing: then just as the wolf was about to pounce on the mother eagle, a truck drove up. The ranger
jumped out and yelled at Mr. Wolf, who turned and ran for cover.
The ranger climbed through the tangle of broken limbs to get to the center of the nest. Gently he
lifted the eagle, setting her aside he picked up the egg and tucked it into a coat pocket. Then he picked
up Eddy, " I don't see how you could be alive little guy. You must have hatched just before the storm."
Putting Eddy into his warm coat pocket, he picked up the mother again and got back into his truck.
Will Eddy live, or did he get too cold? What about the other egg will it hatch?

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