The True Book of Mostly Unrelated Stories

The Majestic Bald Eagle
by John Mooy

Wendy and I sat in our living room last week early in the morning as the sun was coming up. It was extremely windy when something right out in front of our house above the lake caught my eye. It was a bald eagle, and the wind was so strong he just hung motionless in midair. It was over a period of fifteen minutes that we were just riveted to the beauty of this bird. He then performed several large circles which presented us with a beautiful display of his wings, which I said to Wendy, are both long and so broad in their width. Their flight was so effortless.

Fortunately for all of us, the eagle has made an incredible comeback from a time, not that long ago, when their population had been so greatly diminished. You will remember that the chemical DDT, which was used on many trees in orchards to protect the fruit, turned out to be the culprit. The trees were sprayed and when it rained the DDT would wash down into surrounding rivers. The fish in the rivers ingested the chemical and many of the fish were eaten by the eagles. The result was when the eagle would lay its eggs the shells of the eggs were so thin, they could not withstand the weight of the eagles sitting on the eggs prior to hatching.  The result was the eggs were broken and no offspring were produced. Fortunately, the chemical was banned.

In recent years, we have seen these birds make an incredible comeback. I recall the first time I had ever seen an eagle in the wild. I was living and teaching in Fremont, Michigan, and heard there was an eagle’s nest located on protected land near Newaygo. Upon further investigation, I had driven to the area and from a distance could see the massive nest in the top of a tree. You have to be very careful of being anywhere near an eagle’s nest as sometimes they simply continue to go about their business without being bothered, but other reports indicate some eagles have left their nest and the area never to return when people encroached upon their territory.

I tracked down people working in the DNR and received permission to go quietly and watch from a fair distance from where this pair of nesting eagles lived. I was teaching school at the time and had to be in the workplace by eight-thirty in the morning, so I set my alarm for four-thirty, and with a tarp, binoculars and a thermos of coffee, drove over to the area hoping to see the birds. I would cover up with the tarp and give myself a small area to look through toward the nest. I did this for four days with no luck. But on the fifth day while looking through my binoculars, one eagle came into my line of vision. I sat there staring in awe at this bird which circled and then perched on a branch next to the nest at which time another adult head popped up from the nest. That was the first time I had ever witnessed these birds experiencing their full freedom in nature. I’ll never forget the sight.

Since that time, I’ve had the privilege to see many bald eagles, but each time is almost as exciting as that first time.

While living in the state of Washington I drove to a place called the Skagit River in early winter and looked across the river which was lined with enormous fir trees. There were so many bald eagles sitting in the trees they looked like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Breathtaking.

And one time I had the extremely rare opportunity again while in Washington of watching two eagles clasp talons in what’s called a cartwheel display falling toward earth. This is a form of courtship and can go on for hours. I doubt that I’ll ever see this display again, but seeing it once provided an image I’ll always remember.

There are so many wonderful stories about eagles that many books have been written on the subject. You may know that eagles return to their same nest each year and add branches to the existing structure. It was once reported (I don’t know the location) that a nest had been added to for so many years that it became so heavy it crashed to the ground. Estimates placed the weight of the nest at over a ton.

My second favorite story, however, involves the loyalty of the eagles who mate for life and can live usually between twenty to thirty years. One researched pair had been together for life and when one of the birds passed the other passed as well within several days. While researchers could find nothing wrong with the second eagle, it was reported that he had died as the result of a broken heart.  

And to end on a higher note, I recall the day a few years back when I picked up my Marcellus News and there on the front page was a story and a picture as I recall of a bald eagle that was living near Cedar Lake. The comeback of these wonderful birds is still happening.

Have a great week, Marcellus.
You’re the best.
Celebrate the eagle, symbol of our
country and our freedoms.