Once upon a time

eggs went missing along Lake Okeechobee

the liquid heart of Florida

shining azure in the Sunshine State.

From across the country they came

amateur oologists

nidologists

or just “eggers” –

the collectors of wild eggs

to fill curiosity cabinets

with empty shells.

Next Crested Caracara generation

disappearing into burlap bags;

rare birds sliding into extinction.

Then: heroes emerge.

To take on the herculean task

of saving birds from humanity

of saving people from ourselves

our grasping, our greed.

To the top of the trees they climbed

dodging hooked bills of angry parents

heave to the lip of stick nests

stamping “Property of National Audubon Society”

on precious, sunset-hued eggs.

A marker, a brand, a gesture of inked care

to render surfaces – and eggs – useless for prying poachers.

Protected, then. Resilient, now.

Learn more about this true story here.