Thanks for all the great feedback on yesterday's Kestral photo, OPTIMISTIC. It was a lot of fun photographing these birds and I'm glad I could share these images with you, my Renderosity friends. :o) Today's photo is of a raptor that is near and dear to many American hearts, the bald eagle. They are large, fierce and beautiful birds of the wilderness. They thrive in quiet isolation, using tall, mature trees for nesting and perching; and lakes, rivers or seacoasts for hunting fish and waterfow. In 1782, the U.S. Congress selected the bald eagle as our national symbol to represent strength, conquest and freedom. Ironically, it is a threatened species. The total population of bald eagles is estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 birds. In Florida, there are about 1,100 pairs of bald eagles. These birds are crucial to the future of the species in the U.S. because more nest here than in any other state except Alaska. I feel very fortunate that I was able to meet this beautiful bird this past weekend and take some photos of him. He had been been injured (by man) in the wild but rescued by a group that takes in injured animals. I'm happy to say that he is healthy once more, but never again will soar free. Bald eagles are still abundant in Alaska and Canada, but their numbers have dwindled in the lower 48 states. As skillful predators, bald eagles are an indicator of the health and well-being of the environment shared by all life on this planet. If eagles are flourishing, the web of life that supports us all is intact. I hope that we all can do our part to keep that web of life healthy. Olympus C5050 and PhotoshopCS ------ BALD EAGLE (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Length: 27-35 in. Weight: 9-14 lbs. (females larger than males) Wingspan: 70-90 in. Common Names: American eagle, white-headed eagle, white-headed sea eagle Etymology: balde (Old English) - "white"; haliaeetos (Greek) - "sea eagle"; leucocephalus (Greek) - "white-headed" Description: The bald eagle is the only large brown bird with a white head and tail. It has a massive yellow beak and yellow feet. Immature bald eagles have dark beaks and are dark all over with highly variable white splotching. The birds don't attain sexual maturity and the adult plumage of white head and tail until four to five years old. Sexes are similar in appearance, with females often noticeably larger than males. Northern birds are larger than southern birds. Flight: Soars on wide, flat, stiff wings that are held horizontally. For their size bald eagles are extremely agile and can turn quite suddenly. Voice: Bald eagles most commonly scream a gull-like cackle or whine, often with their heads tossed back when perching. The female's voice is lower-pitched. Habitat: Bald eagles are sea eagles and prefer to live near water, such as lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts. Food: Bald eagles are primarily fish eaters. They can catch fish 6-12 inches under the surface, and they often go for dead or floating fish. Bald eagles hunt mostly in the early morning, and sometimes again in late afternoon. They will occasionally hunt cooperatively when hunting mammals. Bald eagles use several methods to catch prey, including swooping from a perch or while in flight and wading from shore into the water and grabbing fish with bill or talons. While much of the bald eagle's diet consists of fish, they will also eat ducks, rabbits, herons, squirrels, opossums and carrion. Almost 90% of the salmon eaten by eagles is carrion, often stolen from other birds such as osprey or immature eagles. Eagles are successful about 10% of the time when chasing mammals, and 70-80% when fishing. An adult bald eagle can consume one pound of fish in less than four minutes! They can lift 1/2 of their own weight, and carry 1/3 of their own weight. To find out more, visit The Carolina Raptor Center.