The Bald Eagle

You will never guess what we saw the other day. A bald eagle! Just sitting in a tree! What makes it so unusual is that we are not that close to a river at all. The nearest river that could support the eagle’s fishing habits is the Susquehanna. And that is about 50 miles away.

Who hasn’t been awed by seeing the eagle in its natural habitat. Wither sitting on a branch or watching a soaring eagle in the sky. I’ve been lucky that way. I have seen three eagles in my life so far. Two about twenty years ago and one just the other day. All three of my sightings were of the bald eagle.

There are only two eagles that are native to America. The bald eagle and the golden eagle. The bald eagle is the one that fascinates me the most. I guess that is because of its coloring. It seems to be very dignified, almost the proper English gentlemen, but with wings.

This eagle is also known as the sea eagle because its main diet is fish. The bald eagles body can be up to 40 inches in length with a wing span of up to 96 inches. And the eagle can weigh in at any were from 6 to 15 pounds. And if you think that is amazing, wait till I tell you about its nest. Up to 13 feet deep and up to 8 feet across, and weight up to 1 ton!

The bald eagle is thought to mate for life. But if one either dies or disappears, the remaining one will find a new mate. If at all possible, the eagle will use the same nest year after year, just adding new material to it. Which is why the eagle has such a large nest.

The Native Americans’ consider both the bald eagle and the golden eagle sacred. Their feathers were often used as symbols of honor. And the eagle is considered a spiritual messenger between the gods and man.

While the bald eagle eats mainly fish, the golden eagle eats mainly small mammals and rodents. Both eagles are about the same size and weight, but the golden eagles nest is about half the size of the bald eagles. I find that very interesting. And from what I can find, the biologists are not sure why.

I am fascinated with the American eagles. I have several pictures of them. My screen saver is of a soaring eagle. And I found an eagle statue that I will one day purchase. As soon as find a place for it, that is. I am really glad that the American (Bald and Golden) eagle are making a comeback. It was rather scary to think of our national symbol going extinct. Now if we can either teach the eagles to stay clear of electrical lines, or teach man how not to poison water ways and other living creatures. May the American eagles be around for a long, long time.