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[glogdog]

Welcome to Bald Eagle Trivia.  I wanted to start a thread that was both Fun and Educational.  This thread can be a hodge podge of fun facts, tidbits, or personal experiences, videos, photos, whatever anyone wants to say about bald eagles.  It doesn't have to be just about Decorah either.  Some of you are fortunate to have Bald Eagles living near you.  If anything, if you don't know where to put your info in the forum, please feel free to post here.  Google can also be your friend, so let's have some fun!

I'll start off with a piece of trivia:

Why are they called Bald Eagles?
Bald Eagles are not bald at all, but have a white head.  Hundred of years ago the English word for WHITE was BALDE and the word "piebalde" meant mottled with white, so the eagles with white heads were called Balde Eagles. 

From my personal experience in Decorah last year, here's a tidbit:  If it's your first visit to Decorah, Mom and Dad LOVE perching on the first maple tree on the right as you pull onto the Hatchery driveway. Early morning around dawn is a good time to catch them there.  Here's a photo I took last July.  Mom is on the left, Dad on the right:     

[glogdog]

Wow, gg.  Thanks so much for that video. Love the soaring, aerial displays, and stealing of the food in mid-air!  The song's lyrics are great too!

[glogdog]

Here's a neat piece of info I came across the other day:

An eagle can consume one pound of fish in about 4 minutes. (Bald Eagles, Their Life and Behavior in North America. Wolfe and Bruning, 1997).  I'm going to time Mom or Dad the next time and check this out.

[frehaws]

Gardengirl-thank you so much for the video. It is one I will keep. I really do love this thread. Thank you Glogdog. I know you have lots of info and fun facts to share here.

[glogdog]

Q. Do young eagles play?

A. Yes.  Scientists believe that picking up and moving sticks and other objects (and passing them back and forth) are a form of play. Eagles of all ages have been seen passing sticks while flying and 'playing' with objects. It is thought that they learn skills in this way.

I think one of the best examples of playing is Elf's video titled, "Teeter Totter".  It does look like fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okMF8GQJ9ow

[glogdog]

Have you ever noticed a bald eagle scratch itself?  If you look closely next time, I think you'll see that it almost always seems to scratch with the middle talon (that would be digit #3 on the foot).  The back or hind digit is #1, the inner digit is #2, the middle digit is #3 and the outer digit is #4.

[glogdog]

Can eagles swim?  Oh yes!!

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/field-notes/video-eagle-swims-to-shore-with-catch-in-its-talons?src=SOC&dom=fb
 

[glogdog]

So what is the difference between a Bald Eagle's Leg and a Golden Eagle's leg?  Well, the feathers on a Bald Eagle do not go all the way down the leg (tarsus) like they do on the Golden Eagle.  The reason for the difference is that the bald eagle's primary diet is fish where as the golden eagle's diet is primarily birds and small mammals.  The bald eagle's lower body often gets wet during fishing, so in order for its legs to dry faster and to reduce drag in the water, the legs, or tarsi, are bare of feathers.  Take a look:

[T40cfr403]

Great idea for a new thread, glogdog.

seadogsam posted a photo in DE2015 of a first class eagle stamp (attached) that got everyone talking.

ginger52 googled the stamp and found it had been issued in 1970.

I just had to find out the significance of the 1970 issue date - it commemorated the 100th anniversary of the opening of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Bald eagles in the lower 48 weren't listed on the Endangered Species Act until 1973, so this stamp was way ahead of its time! Very cool.

[glogdog]

Hey T40 and welcome!  I LOVE this stamp! Thank you for posting this very interesting information.  This certainly is a great piece of trivia!

[glogdog]

I hope some of you have had the opportunity to watch an eagle soar, perhaps even Mom & Dad or the juveniles.  They will fly in a circle sometimes  and what they're doing is riding the thermals, updrafts of warm air that rise from the ground to the sky.  By flying a spiraling circular path within these columns of rising air, they are able to "ride" the air currents and climb to higher altitudes while expending very little energy in the process. The sight of dozens or hundreds of birds riding a thermal has been said to resemble the water boiling in a kettle, so the terms "kettle" or "boil" are sometimes used as a nickname for a flock of birds circling in a thermal updraft. 

[glogdog]

The question in chat sometimes comes up, "Are Bald Eagles sociable?"  Yes, they are!  Course that would be during non-nesting season when there are no eggs or young to defend.  They can gather in groups perched in trees called "Communal Roosts" mainly during the winter months.  These areas usually have a very good food supply available and gathering in numbers gives them better protection against predators. Communal roosting areas are also great for choosing mates.  All ages gather at these areas so the young can learn from the mature also.  Here's a neat video showing an example of a Communal Roost:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cZwmNzbJ0c&feature=related

[glogdog]

The Great Seal of the United States was officially adopted on June 20, 1782.  One side of it depicts the Bald Eagle.  Here is a link to learn more about it:

http://greatseal.com/overview.html

[glogdog]

Mark Stalmaster in his book, The Bald Eagle, says that the earliest mention of territoriality was made by Aristostle about 350 B.C. and appropriately, he made it in regard to eagles: "Each pair of eagles needs a large territory and on that account allows no other eagle to settle in the neighbohood." 

[glogdog]

I found this neat definition in Scott Weidensaul's book, Raptors The Birds of Prey:

Eagle

noun 1. any of several species of large, day-flying birds of prey.  2. silver military insignia in the shape of eagles, worn by colonels (U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps) and captains (U.S. Navy).  3. ten-dollar gold coin formerly issued by U.S. government.  4. golf score of two below par on a hole. [From L. aquila, dark-colored; ME egle.]