THE BALD EAGLE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus; hali = salt, aeetus = eagle, leuco = white, cephalis = head) is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

The Bald Eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 4 meters (13 ft) deep, 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) wide, and one metric ton (1.1 tons) in weight.^[2] Sexual maturity is attained at the age of four to five years.

Bald Eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of “white headed”. The adult is mainly brown with a white head and tail. The sexes are identical in plumage, but females are larger than males. The beak is large and hooked. The plumage of the immature is brown.

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America and appears on its Seal. In the late 20th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the continental United States. Populations recovered and the species was removed from the U.S. federal government’s list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States on June 28, 2007.

I have some property about 4 miles from my homestead. My husband will put his trapping carcasses there so our dogs don’t get into them. The Eagles along with other birds have found the food spot. People drive along this remote road that is a winding road that homes many wildlife, if they are lucky enough they come thru when the Eagles are out. They then stop and look at this most beautiful and Mischievous creature.  This drives my Grandma nuts. She thinks this road is hers (as she owns property that lines one stretch of the road starting on the corner where the Eagles are on). She needs to know why so many people are driving on “her” road. She will call me up and ask if I put something down there because the traffic has gotten out of hand. I say I did and just smile about it.

If you want to see a bunch of Eagles in one spot you can always drive to Sauk Prairie like many people do to watch the Bald Eagles. I did make this trip once and it was an amazing day. Usually this happens the end of January. This year Bald Eagle Days were January 18-19, 2013. Since I missed Bald Eagle Days seeing a boat load of them I am glad I have them on my property so I can still see them. My husband saw 14 one day so I would say that is enough.

Here are the pictures I took Saturday while driving past. I was lucky enough to see an adult Bald Eagle.