Carolina Wren - star of a future blog post
My inspirations in this blog usually arise directly from the sighting of a bird and the subsequent capture of its portrait in a photograph. Sometimes the sightings seem poignant and meaningful, and sometimes they are completely mundane. The birds themselves always bring beauty, curiosity, novelty, even humor at times. It helps that I am such an amateur birder so that so much seems new to me every day.
Last week, I spotted a very small bird on our porch and recognized the thin curved beak of a wren - a Carolina Wren in this case - not so unusual in central New Hampshire but the first one that I had seen. I took a few photos to confirm its identity and study it more closely, and I thought I had a suitable subject for a blog post. Then on Friday, January 8th, two days following the deadly storming and occupation of our nation’s Capitol building, Seddon and I were setting out on a daily walk in the woods behind our yard. Large wings swooped fairly low over our heads and then settled in the top of a nearby pine - red-tailed hawk, osprey, maybe an owl were our first thoughts until we saw the dark brown body, the bright white head, the yellow eyes and beak of a large Bald Eagle - majestic in its own right and the symbol of our nation since 1782. What could have been a more poignant and meaningful message and messenger? The little Carolina Wren would have to wait - the smallest of song birds (.8 ounces, wing span 11.5 inches) upstaged by the largest of raptors (7 to 14 pounds, wing span up to 7.5 feet).
Bald Eagle surveying our yard
Bald Eagles are found everywhere in North America from Alaska to northern Mexico. Minnesota appears to have the largest population. In the 18th century, population estimates surpassed 600,000, but by the 1950s there were only 412 nesting pairs in the contiguous United States - hunting, habitat loss, and pesticides accounted for the decline. Fortunately with strong federal protections and the banning of DDT, the Bald Eagle’s population has regained its strength, and since 2007, it is no longer considered an endangered species. No one is permitted to kill a Bald Eagle (even if one has attacked your dog) - the first offense is a misdemeanor, but the fine is a hefty $100,000 with up to a year in prison. Since eagles and eagle parts (feathers, talons, etc.) are crucial elements of indigenous peoples’ culture and religion, the US Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a repository of dead eagles from which eagles and eagle parts are distributed to federally recognized indigenous tribes for religious and medicinal uses.
Juvenile Bald Eagle last fall near the Connecticut River estuary
Soon after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the founding fathers asked John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson to design a “national seal.” I can only imagine their deliberations about this, and, of course, they failed as miserably as the two committees that were subsequently given the same assignment. Finally, Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Congress, was asked to come up with a design and chose to make the Bald Eagle the central element. Contrary to popular legend, Benjamin Franklin did not suggest that the Wild Turkey would be more appropriate though he was apparently not happy with the Bald Eagle either.
By the way, in case you find yourself outside listening for the robust and intimidating cry of a Bald Eagle, you're in for a disappointment. The Bald Eagle’s call is little more than a weak staccato chirp. When featuring Bald Eagles in films, Hollywood has generally substituted the voice of another bird, usually a red-tailed hawk!
*William Henry Hudson - 19th century author and naturalist