Did you find him? Doesn't he look regal? Let's get a little closer.
I spy 13 arrows in his talon representing the 13 original colonies. I spy a banner in his beak that says "E Pluribus Unum". This means "Out of many, one," in Latin. This reminds us that people from many different countries make up our nation.
The Bald Eagle is our national bird. When we visited southeast Alaska we saw lots of Bald Eagles. We saw them soaring in the sky, hunting for food, sitting in their nest, hanging out on rooftops and, of course, squawking. Half of the world’s bald eagles live in Alaksa. Bald eagles, just like Kennedys, love freshly caught salmon!
Bald eagles are known as “birds of prey.” They spy their meal from the air then swoop down to grab it with sharp talons. Strong, pointed beaks make it easy to rip apart all sorts of small mammals. The official name for this kind of bird is a raptor. The raptor family also includes hawks, owls and falcons.
In Sitka, Alaska we had the chance to visit a bald eagle hospital, the Alaska Raptor Center. Miss G took this picture during the information session.
Notice how the 'real' eagle is all fluffy? He had just taken a bath in his water dish and was drying his feathers. I bet you can't guess how much this Bald Eagle weighs.
Go head guess....
Nope. You're wrong.
Twelve pounds! Birds have hollow bones and feathers are very lightweight.
The Alaska Raptor Center cares for and then releases injured raptors. Most of the injuries are related to humans. They get hit by cars. They fly into power lines. Occasionally they are shot with guns or eat a poison. Injured animals are brought to this center and given the care they need to return to the wild. Here is an X-ray and information about some Bald Eagles they helped and released to live in the wild.
We had a chance to get close to these strong creatures. Check out a beak.
Check out the wing span.
Check out a lunch option. (photo curstosy of J-Dude.)
Check out a skull. Notice the huge eye sockets?
Miss G accidently dropped her lens cap in the outdoor rehabilitation area. One of the center's volunteers went in to get it. Mr. Eagle was not happy to have someone in his space.
Sorry Mr. Eagle. So sorry.
Click here to find out the following: Are Bald Eagles bald? What do Bald Eagles eat besides fish? Which bird did Benjamin Franklin think was a better choice for our national bird other than a Bald Eagle? What do you call a baby eagle?
