Documenting - Bald Eagles
One of the things I am looking forward to during my travels is seeing birds, of all kinds, I however have a great love of all birds of prey. I only saw them in the zoo when I was growing up. This blog post is going to be about the Bald Eagles, the American symbol of freedom, and a bird we came close to wiping off the planet.
These amazing birds once flew and nested in much of the North American continent. Being named the symbol of American Freedom the birds are truly wonderous to sit and watch. Fun fact, the eagle sound we hear to symbolize American, well it is not an eagle cry, they used the call of the Red Tail Hawk as it had more strength. The call of the bald eagle is higher pitched. Look it up, it is fun. I however love the true sound an eagle makes.
By the 1950s there were less than 500 nesting pairs of this bird in America, the use of pesticides, specifically DDT, had caused a problem with the calcium production of the adult birds. It leads to eggshells that were too thin to sustain the little life growing inside. The birds also suffered the loss of their habitat and nesting areas as well as hunting, both legal and illegal. It seemed the bird would be gone from our planet if things did not change.
In 1967 the bald eagle was declared endangered in the United State, and they fell under more protections than early acts had provided. It took till the 70s and 80s before DDT was band through America and Canada. Under the protection of the Government and help from new regulations, we would finally see if we could save this majestic bird.
As things progressed the populations started to rebound, mainly alongside bodies of water. Many areas have put in nesting areas to entice the birds back to the area. The latest figures I could find put the largest population of breeding eagles in Minnesota with Florida not far behind, both locations with over 1000 of these birds. Amazing recovery from less than 500 nationwide.
Often times we as humans do not realize the impact we have on the environment and other creatures who call this place home alongside us. I am happy to now see eagles and other birds of prey regularly during my travels.
