 Eagle Canyon: Eagles
Watching eagles: What to look for
Individual bald eagles may
look very different from one another. Younger birds sport a dusky brown head
and tail, brownish bill, and blotches of white or cream on body and wings.
Adult birds feature a snow white head and tail, yellow bill, and brownish-black
body.
Fly
like an eagle
Think your reach is impressive? An eagle's wingspan can be as long as three
feet from wingtip to wingtip.
The Story of Taima, the eagle
The comforts of home
Taima and her mate constantly bring food to their newly hatched chicks.
At first, small bits of fish and fowl are
torn into chunks and fed directly into their
open bills. Within a few weeks, each eaglet was eating
nearly two pounds a day. Now, after two months, the chicks are ready
to feed themselves, fighting over
the food dropped into the nest.
Taima keeps watch over the nest as the young birds play tug-of-war with twigs
and flop around the nest in make-believe flight. Once their more powerful flight
feathers grow out, it will be time to fly for real.
 Living off the land
Flying over the snow-dusted banks of a rushing stream, Taima spies food. A large
pink-bellied salmon has washed close to the pebbly shore. Swooping down, she
wades toward the carcass, grasping it in her sharp talons. Even though she is
an accomplished hunter, Taima gets much of her food from animals that are already
dead.
Above the treetops
From her massive nest atop the towering Douglas fir, Taima surveys the forest
below her. She has been using the same nest for years. As soon as her mate
is done adding a new layer of moss and sticks to the top, it will be time
for Taima
to settle in and lay her next clutch of eggs.
Taima uses the broken top of the towering Douglas fir to take flight. She rides
the thermals high into the air until she is a mere speck in the sky. Silently
she soars, over acres of open forest.
 A
vanishing wilderness
What
had stood for generations as forest, stream and hillside was beginning
to change. Many of the landmarks Taima had known her entire life were
now gone. The trees along the south side of the hill had been cut down.
A road winds its way along the river. Gone are the large runs of native salmon that
used to pass by these parts. Waterfowl, Taima's favorite meal, was
also becoming harder to find.
This
was not the home Taima knew
Swooping low to the stream bank, Taima targets one of the many fish
carcasses floating at the water's edge. Instinctively, she is drawn
to the river bank during
spawning season, knowing she will be able to easily provide her hatchlings with
full bellies. Eaglets require constant feeding, so this find will mean less work
for Taima. In death, salmon bring nutrients from their long stay in the ocean
back to the forest, continuing the natural cycle.
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