Blogcritics Comments on Bald Eagles and Me

Comment by dan on Bald Eagles and Me

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 09:51:12 EDT

Not much meat on them hot eagle wings

Comment by troll on Bald Eagles and Me

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:24:25 EDT

here's a bit of Americana: when I pulled crab pots off the coast of Alaska back in the day the owner of the boat sat with his 30.06 taking pot shot at eagles and Russian fishermen all of whom he considered to be direct competitors...happily he was a poor shot the eagles were as thick as the gulls

Comment by Erik Anderson on Bald Eagles and Me

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:05:28 EDT

Here's a photo of an eagle I took a couple weeks ago. Feel free to use it on your blog or as wallpaper on your computer.

Comment by Sean Aqui on Bald Eagles and Me

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 14:19:58 EDT

The trips to the Boundary Waters (usually twice a year, once with the family and once with the Scouts) were easily the highlights -- and in some ways, defining moments -- of my childhood. Especially before cellphones and GPS. Once you were a lake or two in -- especially if you turned off the beaten paths -- you were truly off the grid, and if something happened you could be a three-day paddle from help. The quiet, the fishing, the beauty -- and the mosquitos -- were all incredible. As we got older the BWCA began to seem overtraveled, so we started going further afield -- to the Canadian side, in the Quetico. My kids are nearly old enough for extended camping trips. We expect to begin a new generation of BWCA traditions in the next couple of years.

Comment by bliffle on Bald Eagles and Me

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 13:07:24 EDT

I, too, spent teenage summers canoeing in the boundary waters with my fishing buddy, where we were once treated to the sight of a bald eagle launching from his dominant position at the top of the tallest pine in the area to snatch a crow in midair. Very exciting. Interesting how many young men experienced the wilderness glory of the boundary waters area. Give thanks to Truman and the US congress for declaring it a roadless and airplaneless area in 1949 so that it is accessible only by canoe. Saturday I went hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains with another old-timer who worked there as a teenage ranger for the Forest Service during WW2 (so adult men could fight in the war). We have transient bald eagles in the San Jose area and the occasional resident, but golden eagles are pretty easy to find: when you see a soaring bird that is noticeably bigger than the common vultures and hawks, it is a golden eagle. When you see a soaring bird that is REALLY REALLY big, in a class by itself, it is a condor (they can have a 9 ft. wingspan).

Comment by Joe on Bald Eagles and Me

Mon, 9 Jul 2007 00:01:52 EDT

Great article, thank you. I still remember the first time I saw a bald eagle, on a lake in Northern Minnesota. I was young and the significance of the sighting was etched in my brain forever. Thank you for warming up the memories.

Comment by Sean Aqui on Bald Eagles and Me

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 12:40:33 EDT

Dave: Peregrines are cool, too. I love that they can nest in large cities, living on pigeons. Proves even flying rats have a purpose (feeding peregrines). Clavos: I lived in St. Petersburg, on the west coast, and simply never made it down to Fort Myers, except for two brief pass-bys on our way to Alligator Alley -- once for a trip to Miami, once for a diving trip to the Keys. I wish we had spent more time in South Florida. Zedd: It's at least somewhat political, being about conservation, our national symbol and the subject of a recent SCOTUS ruling. I couldn't think of a better place for it. Apparently, neither could Dave.

Comment by Zedd on Bald Eagles and Me

Sun, 1 Jul 2007 09:18:23 EDT

Very nice article. Is this political?

Comment by Clavos on Bald Eagles and Me

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:35:16 EDT

There are substantial numbers of Bald Eagles on the lower Southwest coast of Florida, a fact I hadn't known despite decades of living on the Southeast coast, until a recent trip to Ft. Myers. They're plentiful there (Marco Island even has a street named Bald Eagle Drive). They truly are magnificent, majestic creatures.

Comment by Dave Nalle on Bald Eagles and Me

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:13:59 EDT

I just got back from Maine where we saw both Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons, both of which have resurged in that area with a vengeance. I was surprised to learn that unlike most land-dwelling bald eagles which are scavengers, the ones on the coast actually dive for and catch fish. Dave