Songs of the Northwest Woods
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The American Bald Eagle

Picture
Bald Eagle hunting prey
The Bald Eagle

 Soaring huntress and hunter

Head cap of white feathers

Waiting high above on coastal cedar bough

With eyes that pierce the waves


Visitors along the Northwest coastal woods are thrilled to catch sight of the American Bald Eagle.  No longer considered endangered, the American Bald Eagle has made a come back in numbers to the extent of officially now being listed as threatened.  Not truly bald, the white feathered cap of the American eagle gives it the name of bald.  The bald eagle of the Northwest is attracted to this area from Washington, through British Columbia and up into Alaska by the bounty of salmon.  Currently, Alaska boasts more than half of the Northwest eagles, with lesser numbers along the British Columbia coast and still fewer in Washington.

Birds of prey, the eagles are equipped with powerful eyes that can spot the twitching of fish among the waves.  With its mighty wing span and ferocious talons, it can swoop down and snatch up dinner for itself or for its young family.  Majestic, the eagle roosts in the high tree tops that the coastal woods can provide.  Menacing, the eagle is relentless, once it has captured its small prey, whether salmon or rabbit.  It will tear it apart with its talons and devour what it wants.  The females are actually the larger of the two genders.  Their prowess as hunters is unrivaled in the woods.

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "The Eagle

“Hold every moment sacred…Give each its true and due fulfillment.”   Thomas Mann

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle

www.baldeagleinfo.com



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