I could not believe it! It was only 2 weeks ago that I went to visit my daughter and her family in Fulton, Illinois, USA which is on the Mississippi and counted 234 BALD EAGLES. Some were perched on branches of trees, others on the ice part covering the Mississippi and yet others over the open waters by one of the dams crossing the River. Many of them were gliding through the air and periodically swooping down to catch their meals.
As I was going to church this morning there perched on a branch, 9 o'clock, in a large tree on the south side of Cencession Street a BIG BEAUTIFUL BLACK AND WHITE BALD EAGLE. I had to stop my car and look more closely through my binoculars. I took several pictures just so that I could prove that I was not mistaking it as a Raptor. There it sat, perched high and dry. What one could perceive as laziness was actually competence. Inept birds waste energy searching for food. True, eagles do eat carrion but thely are also skilled hunters, able to capture waterfowl in flight and rabblits on the run. And, yes, the BALD EAGLE is an accomplished food thief, as many an osprey has learned. But only the OSPREY has standing to make that accusation--for if the BALD EAGLE is to be judged, it is surely entitled, like all people, to a jury of its peers. I was 30 minutes late for church but made it back to my post by the BALD EAGLE. He was still there, perched on the same branch in the same tree. I called a couple of friends on my cell phone. Another couple of vehicles stopped on the side of the road to ask what we were looking at. Soon another couple of vehicles joined us and we were having quite the church service in the open air. He must have been there over 3 hours. It was a spiritual experience that is still making me walk 6 " off the ground. He showed me his 35-40 " length; I was not able to witness his wingspan of 8 ft. He definitely was an adult blackish brown with head and tail pure white and bill yellow. Then there were the PINE GROSBEAKS. 8-10 " long. Their bills were a stubby and conical shape. Males are pink with 2 wing bars. Females gray with 2 white wing bars, head and rump tinged with an olive orange. And at the feeder at home in Newcastle had 22 REDPOLLS & 27 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Directions: Take Highway # 115/35 south off Highway # 401 as far as Concession St. west till you reach the Martin Gerrits & Sons Orchard and look for some of the Crab apple trees planted among other trees in the orchard both north and south. Markus Lise Newcastle, On _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
