Bald eagle population soars in the Triangle

[G_j]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2015/02/14/4555752_bald-eagles-are-back-in-the-triangle.html?rh=1

BY RICHARD STRADLING

RALEIGH — Ronnie Floyd of Wake Forest is 73 years old, spent four years in the Navy and retired after 30 years with IBM, and until two days after Christmas he had never seen a bald eagle in the wild.

Floyd was walking with his daughter, Tiffany, on a trail near Falls Lake dam when they spotted one in a tree.

“She said look at that big bird up there. I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s a bald eagle,’ ” Floyd said. “I had no idea they were even around here. It’s just amazing.”

For people who remember when bald eagles were nearly extinct in most of North America some 40 years ago, spotting one for the first time can feel like seeing a leprechaun.

But the eagles have made a remarkable recovery, both in North Carolina and nationwide. While still protected by other federal laws, the birds were removed from the list of threatened and endangered species in 2007 because their numbers had increased so much.

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[brewens]

1. I saw one right in town not too long ago. In town here though is going over the Clearwater river

bridge in Idaho, so a bald eagle isn't that unusual. You can easily spot some or their nests if you go for a little drive and know where to look.

What I find more amazing is the numbers and behavior of redtailed hawks ond other birds of prey. It's really kind of funny after harvest time on the Palouse prairie. That's a huge area of rolling hills and farmland in south eastern Washington state. Once the fields are cut down, on some days, you'll just see all these big hawks sitting there on slopes on the ground in the fields. They don't even have to fly to get there next meal. Just sit and wait for something to move. You'll see one at pretty regular intervals too. From the numbers I see just from the highway, there must be thousands all over the place.

I remember as a kid in the late 60's that it was a big deal to spot any kind of big bird, eagles, owls, hawks or herons. They were all pretty much wiped out. It really has to be amazing if we could know the numbers on the Palouse. All those predatory birds scarfing up the rodents as fast as they can reproduce.

[cwydro]

2. I keep my eyes open for them.

Saw them in Florida years ago, but not here as yet.