Olujimi pressed his nose against the mesh wire, his eager gaze fixed on the tall tree in the distance. Somewhere high amongst those branches, a nest was hidden away. And in that nest, a special delivery expected any day now.
As manager of the nature conservancy bordering his Nigerian village, part of Olujimi’s job involved monitoring local wildlife. But no duty gave him more joy than watching over the giant iroko tree that had been home to a breeding pair of crowned eagles for the past three rainy seasons.
From the moment he first spotted the enormous birds circling above the preserve’s forest canopy shortly after taking up his post, Olujimi was transfixed. With wingspans over two meters wide, these regal feathered hunters awed him with their power and deadly precision dive-bombing prey at over 120 miles per hour.
When he realized this royal couple had chosen his conservancy as their nesting territory, Olujimi took his role as their guardian deeply to heart. His researchers reported the mated pair diligently repairing a massive clump of branches high in the towering iroko after their annual autumn migration return. Right on breeding schedule, the female should be incubating one to three chalky eggs by now. Today Olujimi noticed promising signs. Anxious avian squawks echoed more frequently as the male increasingly left his mate’s side to hunt prey to stock the nest. Within days now fluffy white eaglets should make their debut if all progressed smoothly.
As sunset brushed the horizon with gold, Olujimi lingered reluctantly by the observation blind. He never tired gazing up at the iroko, imagining the soon-to-hatch royal babies nestled safely in their lofty nursery as mother lovingly sheltered them with her magnificent wingspan. Feelings of warm anticipation flooded his chest whenever he pictured those fuzzy young heads poking up shakily to witness their splendid forest kingdom, thanks to his efforts protecting their ancestral nesting territories from modern threats.
Yes, safeguarding priceless endangered creatures like his beloved eagles filled Olujimi with hope and purpose. But deeper still stirred a private longing rooted in childhood dreams cruelly broken before their time. How he would have treasured a sibling’s hand to hold navigating life’s difficulties after losing his parents early on. Instead Olujimi had faced many challenging years utterly alone.
Now supporting this eagle family’s future elevated his solitary existence. He couldn’t rescue his own long-vanished kin. But through steadfast caretaking of the nest, perhaps these wild royalty could avoid his fate and leave behind enduring legacies.
The days crept by slowly. Then one sunny afternoon, Olujimi’s acute hearing detected a chorus of shrill demanding peeps floating on the breeze. Gazing upwards, his breath caught sharply. High on an outer iroko branch perched three wide-eyed, unsteady gray eaglets only a few weeks old clad in fluffy down, aggressively snapping compact beaks. As Olujimi watched enthralled, the majestic female soared into view clutching a snake in her formidable talons. With an echoing cry she landed gracefully, tearing sections off with her razor beak and patiently delivering blood-rich morsels into each scrawny open throat.
Overwhelmed by this long anticipated sight, Olujimi silently offered up a prayer of thanks as he brushed happy tears aside. Then pulling out his notebook, he began meticulously documenting every tender interaction between this magnificent mother and her hungry heirs. He would monitor every stage of their growth and stand by ready to assist however possible. For now, his own patient anticipation had borne beautiful fruit at last.