Tell Me about Eagles

M: The Eagle was our national bird even before we had a president.  They mate for life. The immature eagle is actually bigger than its parents. Benjamin Franklin and John James Audubon did not want the eagle to be our national bird because they steal other bird's fish.  Franklin wanted the turkey.  But everybody agrees that the bald eagle looks majestic and strong.  They build their nest out of sticks and keep building it every year until it falls over.  They are carnivores and will even eat other birds.

L: Eagles use abandoned owls' homes to build up their nests.  The Bald Eagle is an inch bigger and longer in wingspan than the Golden Eagle. Their mating is really cool: they fly around in circles and spin around holding each other's talons. I like it as our national bird, but if I could choose, I'd either choose the peacock or hummingbird instead.

J: You can tell an immature Bald Eagle from a Golden Eagle if it has only half-feathered legs.  The Golden Eagle has wholly feathered legs.  The Bald Eagle is more Eastern- it only winters in the West, while the Golden Eagle breeds and lives in the West all year round and is a rare visitor to the East in Winter.  John James Audubon mistook the immature Bald Eagle for an entirely different species because they are bigger than the adults.  It takes them four years to reach maturity.  They're called Bald Eagles after the old English word "Piebald" which is a term used for a full head of white hair.

The best time to see a Bald Eagle in our state is from November to March, when over a 1,000 are present throughout our state.  We go to the river in January and every time we've gone we've see at least one.  Twice we've gotten within 50ft of where one is perched in a tree.  Another time as we walked along the riverwalk, one swept right over our heads, and later we got to watch it eat and drink!