Thursday, June 28, 2007

LIFT UP THY HEAD

Today will be a good day- in Birdland, that is.
Today is the day that the American Bald Eagle will be removed from the endangered species list.

This is quite an impressive creature.
I saw my first one (well, two actually) on a beach in Washington State, many, many years ago. A pair of gorgeous creatures glided by then came to rest on some pines edging the sand.

My last sighting of this creature was in my own backyard last summer. One morning, while sitting on my back deck, I saw a very large bird flying over the treetops. He came to rest on a power line in a field just beyond my back fence. I actually thought that perhaps it was an owl, for I had seen them in that area before. However, as I continued watching him, and wondering, he turned his magnificent head so that now I could see his profile. That sharp, curved beak and snow white head took my breath away. I was ecstatic.

I had never seen one here in Maryland before. I did know that they existed here. I had recently been told that my county had 6 nesting pair. Where? I had no idea.

So now our national bird is off of the endangered species list.
Hopefully, they will continue to be protected and some a** with a rifle decides not to bag himself one.


There is reported to be at least one nesting pair in each of the lower 48 states. Sorry Hawaii, for now you must be content with the NENE.


When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up
thy head!

Blake, William

14 comments:

Mike Minzes said...

That is great news!!

Great post!

Linds said...

I've missed you, Gewels!

I know I've been on hiatus... but I did manage to catch up on all that I've missed and I must say - I was SO thrilled to hear that you went horseback riding. They are truly magnificent creatures.

So I hope you've been well... I didn't realize I've been in hiding for nearly a month.

Give yourself a big hug for me and take care of you.

Love you, girlfriend.

Akelamalu said...

What fantastic news! Such a majestic bird. :)

Anonymous said...

Stunning image - I've never seen one, now that I think about it. Darn.

I'm glad you got to!

Melissa said...

Very cool, and strange because just Tuesday night I dreamed that a huge (tree size)eagle landed in my back yard, under a cherry tree filled with pink blossoms. I of course have no cherry tree in my back yard, but a pear tree - oh well, it was a dream. And while I'm excited that it is no longer endangered, I worry that all the critters on the earth need protected somehow.
Sorry you're a PG...I'm sure I'm a G. Perhaps we need to step out on the edge, no?

Barbara said...

I was so excited when I heard this on the news. It's so rare that we humans can ever reverse something sliding down the tubes in nature. But the eagle seems to have prevailed. Let's see how long it will take us to figure out a new way to kill them off (as DDT now seems to be under control)... Maybe I should think more positively!

Mother of Invention said...

We saw so many of these in BC Canada! They are really neat looking and we took a ton of pics. Glad they're no longer endangered.

eastcoastlife said...

That's a beautiful bird!

GrizzBabe said...

Eagles are truly beautiful creatures. I love watching them soar. It's amazing. I'm really glad they are coming off the endangeared species list.

Anonymous said...

enough hiding underneath a rock ...... ! i always liked that song: i want to fly like an eagle ...

GEWELS said...

Mike M- It is GREAT news!!
Linds- Love hearing from you, a month is WAY too long
Akela- We ARE proud that it is our national bird. Well-deserved. Much better choice than the turkey- after all what WOULD we eat on Thanksgiving?
Elaine- Seeing one is a thrill-hope you get the chance soon.
Melissa- Love the Eagle dream
- a good omen-yes?
We do need to take care of all of our creatures- before they are gone.
Barbara- We do need to be careful with what we put into the environment. I think you ARE a positive person as it is.
MOI- how nice tht you saw many. I feel very lucky to have seen only 3. Maybe more this summer in Alaska- I'm hoping anyway.
RED DIRT GIRL!!!- My favorite quote is "for a while she flew onbly when no one was looking" Glad you've surfaced and aim to fly hi. I've missed you SOOOO much.

GEWELS said...

East Coast Life- They are absolutely majestic birds!
Grizzbabe- their flight is a wonder to behold. How lucky you've had the opportunity to see them too!

Akelamalu said...

You have an award m'dear, please come and collect. :)

bulletholes said...

We even have a Nesting pair here close to DFW2 Lake Ray roberts...i've seen the Male...very nice!