Loren Saw Two Bald Eagles

I heard a funny type of bird cry that wasn't familiar to me Sunday. I looked up toward the pine trees that mark the north border of our property and there they were, two bald eagles. I had just assumed an eagle would sound like a screeching hawk or something loud but these eagles actually sounded more like a small bird. The two of them perched atop adjacent pines looking proud just like the photos we've seen so many times before.

I was aware of the eagles over in the Wabasha area, but wasn't aware that they'd be spotted around here. I talked to well-known bird man Darryl Hill and he told me that as recently as five years ago it would have been quite a rare sight to see a bald eagle around these parts. He suspects that if the Straight River stays open they'll continue to hang around. They love their fish.

In the 1700s it was estimated that the United States had 300,000 to 500,000 bald eagles. This number drastically dipped to around 400 to 500 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states by 1963. With environmentally wise changes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are more than 5,000 nesting pairs in the lower 48.

I'm just glad my daughter was able to catch a photo of them before they took off.