THE EAGLES HAVE LANDED!

Image feed courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

The NestCam is back, and provides a great seat to stalk the private lives of two eagles in their nest, nearby Codorus Park in Hanover, PA. Sure beats climbing the tree! I found some interesting information about these birds and now consider myself an official "Eagles Fan".

The bald eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 13 ft. deep and 8 ft. wide. 

Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name comes from an older meaning of "white headed". Females are about 25 percent larger than males.

Their legs are feather-free, and the toes are short and powerful with large talons. The highly developed talon of the hind toe is used to pierce the vital areas of prey while it is held immobile by the front toes. 

The bald eagle is a powerful flier and soars on thermal convection currents. It reaches speeds of 35–45 mph when gliding and flapping. Its dive speed is between 75–100 mph, though it seldom dives vertically. (Even though they are capable of these speeds, it is interesting how smoothly they glide into the nest) 

Rabbits, ground,squirrels, raccoons, muskrats, beavers and deer fawnare the eagles primary on-land prey. (I would love to see the eagle arrive at the nest with a deer fawn) 

The average lifespan of bald eagles in the wild is around 20 years. In captivity, they often live somewhat longer. In one instance, a captive eagle in New York lived for nearly 50 years.

I guess not everyone is a bald eagle fan. Benjamin Franklin, in a letter written to his daughter in 1784 from Paris, stated his personal distaste for the bald eagle's behavior. In the letter Franklin said:

"For my own part. I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly ... besides he is a rank coward: The little king bird not bigger than a sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district."

(Oh well, it's true in the animal world too. You can't ever please everyone.)

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