EAGLES ON IOWA SHORES
Last night on my way home it was raining & lightening. An odd thing indeed considering it was January 1st.
Many North American Indian tribes believe the THUNDERBIRD, or mythical
SUPER EAGLE is responsible for creating lightening and thunder by
flapping its wings. With so many BALDEAGLES (a.k.a.: Haliaeetus
leucocephalus) in this area of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER, their
explanation is not too far-fetched. For having a scientific mind,
I know how thunder and lightening are technically created, but the
Indians’ version sounds more intriguing.
Many of you may be marveling at the site of a BALD EAGLE these past
several weeks. If so, give a round of applause to DR. CHARLES
WURSTER. Back in 1970 he helped ban DDT which was proven to cause
many birds to have thin-shelled eggs resulting in lower numbers of
offspring. DDT is dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane. It
was developed to stamp out insect borne diseases and kill lice as well
as grasshoppers and other insects that could wipe out a crop
overnight. Dr. Wurster “wrote the key affidavit in a…1970
lawsuit…that halted the dumping of DDT in California waters.”
This is according to “SOLUTIONS”, the newsletter of
www.environmentaldefense.com. The November-December 2004, Volume
35, Number 6 version has more information. Bald Eagles as well as
ospreys and peregrine falcons were saved from extinction because of the
final banning in 1972 of DDT.
RACHEL CARSON's book SILENT SPRING published in 1962 by Houghton
Mifflin Company of New York, New York, goes into great detail about
DDT. The effects it had on humans and animals is
staggering. Today, some officials want it brought back in use
here in the United States, and it is actually being used by other
countries that have no or very little environmental controls… Now
back to the Eagle.
The Bald Eagle is one of over 100 birds common to IOWA. An adult
male Eagle has a dark brown-to-black body and wings set off by a pure
white head and tail. It has a large, curved yellow bill and yellow
feet. The female is the same, but is slightly larger. They
can have a 7-foot wing span and are approximately 31-37 inches
tall. They usually mate for life, have 2 off-white, unmarked eggs
per year, and come back to the same nest yearly which they both take
part in building. At about 4-5 years of age, the juvenile Eagle
loses its white speckles and gray bill to then look like its
parents. This information and more about Eagles and other birds
of IOWA can be found in BIRDS OF IOWA/FIELD GUIDE by STAN TEKIELA
(second printing 2000, published by Adventure Publications, Inc.)
Locally, next weekend SATURDAY, JANUARY 8th and SUNDAY, JANUARY 9th, get
thee to the BALD EAGLE DAYS at the QCCA EXPO CENTER, ROCK ISLAND (IL),
2621-4th AVE, 61201, (309) 788-5912. This is across the
Mississippi River from downtown Davenport. You will come
away knowing so much about Eagles and other birds, that you will dazzle
your friends! See if you can help bring your local school
children. If their budgets have been cut, help them out.
Have a bake sale Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Sell that old
stamp collection you’ve enjoyed long enough. Drive them
yourself. There is no finer reward than seeing sheer excitement
and joy on the face of a child when they’ve experienced the fascination
of exploration.
You can also call KEN FORDHAM of the Sierra Club (563) 285-5856
or email him at Kford81673@aol.com for more information. To
locate Eagle events in your area of the state go to
www.sierraclub.com. Pull down IOWA then see IOWA CHAPTER EVENTS
to find festivities near you.
One of the best and most beautifully photographed articles on Eagles is
in the JULY 2002 publication of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. It quotes
poet WILL CARLETON from 1911: “But you were never made, as I,/On
the wings of the winds to fly!/ the Eagle said.” When I look out
my east windows which face the Mississippi River and listen to the
Eagles screech at each other from the large tree outside, they may not
understand the significance of what was done by Dr. Wurster and others
to save them, but I do.
Go to www.nationalgeographic.com to view the text and photos.
If you look closely at the IOWA flag, you will see a beautiful, soaring
eagle holding a banner which proclaims, ” OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE AND
OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN”.
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