Eagles

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous and I decided to head down to Wabasha to go hunting for bald eagles. I had read that this was a great time of year to see them along the Mississippi River and I thought it might be a fun photo opportunity. As you can see, I had pretty good luck and saw at least 25-30 of them. It was incredible to watch them soar above the river and I even managed to catch a few sitting in trees. The black and white speckled birds are juvenile bald eagles. On the way back home I saw several other big birds that I could tell weren't bald eagles. After a little googling I'm pretty sure they were turkey vultures. There is a picture or two of them in the slideshow. All in all, it was a fabulous way to spend a beautiful spring afternoon!

What color are my eyes?

Ever since I was a little girl I have never quite known what to say when someone asked what color my eyes are. Are they brown? Green? Blue? Eventually, I just started calling them hazel.

The other day I came across a website that discussed people who have two different colored eyes--a condition called heterochromia iridum. It turns out that there is a related condition called central heterochromia. This is what Wiki has to say about it:

Central heterochromia is an eye condition where there are two colors in the same iris; the central (pupillary) zone of the iris is a different color than the mid-peripheral (ciliary) zone. Eyes displaying central heterochromia are often referred to as "cat eyes" because of the appearance of a multi-colored iris. Central heterochromia appears to be prevalent in irises containing low amounts of melanin. Central heterochromia does not label an eye as hazel. This is because the outer ring of an eye affected by central heterochromia is that iris's true color.

I think it's kind of fascinating that the color of my eyes constitutes an "eye condition." Apparently central heterochromia is a dominant genetic trait. I know that Mom and Lara both have eyes like mine. Does anyone else in the family have multi-colored eyes? Any of the nieces and nephews?

And let me know what you think I should say when someone asks what color my eyes are!