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National Bald Eagle Watch Month & 13 great places to see Bald Eagles

The bald eagle was officially adopted as the U.S. national emblem on June 20, 1782. Because of its native status and majestic appearance, the bald eagle was chosen by Congress as our national symbol.  At that time, bald eagles were commonly seen in New England, particularly along the Atlantic coast. People could readily view the eagle hunting for its own food, occasionally feeding on carrion and pirating other eagles’ prey.  13 Great places to see Bald Eagles on National Wildlife Refuges

 

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National Bald Eagle Watch Month

 

Did you Know?

The bald eagle is unique to North America. Unlike the golden eagle, which also lives in Europe, Asia and North Africa, the bald eagle only occurs from Florida to Alaska.
 

Due to the bald eagle’s opportunistic scavenging, Benjamin Franklin was against the bald eagle as our national symbol and wanted the wild turkey instead.

In the 1800's people frequently shot the bald eagle, mistakenly believed eagles could carry away young children.

Lewis and Clark found that the feathers of this bird were much prized by the Indians and was used in ceremonies and decorations.

Bald eagles have a wingspan of 6 to 7 1/2 feet.

The sexes are alike, with the female being slightly larger.

Bald eagles sit 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and weigh 8 to 15 pounds.
 
Their eyes are 5 to 6 times more powerful than human’s.

The bald eagle can  lift 3 to 5 pounds

Their primary food is fish, and they will nearly always be seen near water. They also eat waterfowl, particularly the sick or injured, and occasionally carrion.

Bald eagles nest from November through April, depending on the latitude.

It is believed that eagles mate for life.
 

Bald Eagle Watching Etiquette

During the winter, bald eagles are under pressure to consume enough food and expend as little energy as possible in order to maintain body heat. If fishermen, bird watchers, or boaters get too close to the eagles, the birds will waste valuable energy flying away. It exposes them to undue stress and could cause abandonment of a site. To avoid disturbing eagles:

  • Do not get any closer than 400 yards from a perched eagle. If vegetation obscures the eagle’s view of you, still avoid getting closer than 100 yards.

  • When possible, stay in your vehicle, use a blind, or stand behind stationary objects when viewing eagles.

  • Stay on the opposite side of the river or lake to allow them a peaceful refuge.

  • Since over 70 percent of the eagle’s feeding occurs during the early morning, avoid visiting areas that eagles rely on for food before 9 a.m. That will help to allow the eagle enough time to adequately feed before human activity disrupts their foraging.

 


   
 

In 1940, noting that the national bird was "threatened with extinction," Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act which made it illegal to kill, harass, possess (without a permit), or sell bald eagles.

  •  DDT was banned for most uses in the U.S. in 1972 (the greatest threat to the bald eagle's existence arose from the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides after World War II).

  • Endangered Species Act of 1973, Federal and state government agencies, along with private organizations, successfully sought to alert the public about the bald eagle's plight and to protect its habitat from further destruction.

  • In 1991, a 5- year program to phase out the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting was completed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (bald eagles also died from lead poisoning as a result of feeding on hunter-killed or crippled waterfowl containing lead shot and from lead shot that was inadvertently ingested by the waterfowl).

  • In July 1995, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced that bald eagles in the lower 48 states have recovered to the point that those populations that were previously considered endangered are now considered threatened. Subsequently, the Service formally upgraded those populations under the Endangered Species Act to mark this progress -- another endangered species success story.

 

 

Lewis and Clark Trail maps on this web site were provided courtesy of the National Park Service
GPO 1991-557-779


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