(YouTube Link)
Once on the brink of extinction, the North American bird that became a national symbol is thriving again. The bald eagles around Portland, OR used to stay away from the city, but this week one camped out right in front of the KATU news camera overlooking the Willamette River.
The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. Bald eagles are found throughout most of North America, from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico. About half of the world's 70,000 bald eagles live in Alaska. Combined with British Columbia's population of about 20,000, the northwest coast of North America is by far their greatest stronghold for bald eagles.
That thing about "bald" meaning "white" was something I actually learned from my seven-year-old daughter recently. Link.
The most awesome thing I've seen recently was one landing in the highway divider right ahead of me (so I got to watch it for a bit) where a freshly dead deer was laying this winter. It was huge and ripped flesh and muscle right off the deer...I know they're good fishers, but I didn't realize they had such raw power!
I've never had the pleasure of seeing a bald eagle in the wild, but it must be quite a sight. I love watching the big hawks here, so can only imagine how cool it would be to add in eagles to that mix lol.
While not as glamorous as the bald eagle, the turkey vultures in our area are also quite impressive. It is our sign that spring is near when the turkey vultures return from their winter homes.