Oh Dem Baldies-- Part 3

At the Mississippi Valley Welcome Center, we were givem a piece of paper to watch local eagles in their nest on the Alcoa Eagle Cam.

www.alcoa.com/eaglecam.

Well worth a watch.


Some more info on bald eagles from Eagle Fact-Finer Statistics.


MATING AND BREEDING

** The bald eagle mates for life.

** Eagle pairs often return to the same nest year after year.

** The largest recorded eagle nest was 20 feet high, 10 feet wide, & weighed 2 tons. (I wonder how they weighed it?)

** Male & female alternate sitting on the eggs.

** Eagles often nest within 100 miles of where they were born.


HUNTING HABITS

** Fish make up 60-90% of their diet.

** Eagles can fly 30-40 mph during normal flight.

** Eyesight is 6x greater than a human's. (And they can definitely give you the ol' evil eye.)


RANGE

** Found in all states except Hawaii. (Even Florida?)

** Illinois has the largest winter population of eagles other than Alaska.

**Less than 125 active nests in Illinois. (We now have one here in the Chain of Lakes that is occupied year round.)

** Is still on the Federal threatened species list. (But definitely not as threatened as in the 60s-80s.)

Go See 'Em. Don't Cost Nuthin'. --RoadDog

Oh Dem Baldies-- Part 2

Some More Interesting Stuff from the Eagle Fact-Finder Statistics as put out by the Iowa I-80 Welcome Center.

** The Latin name Haliaeetus leucocephalus means "white-headed" sea eagle.

** The Old English word "balde" meant white, not hairless.

** Eagles' talons and beaks are made of keratin; the same material that make up our hair and fingernails.


NEST TO MATURITY

** 1-3 eggs in a nest take about 35 days to hatch.

** 3-4 weeks they develop most of their feathers.

** 6-7 weeks they can walk.

** 3 months they can fly.

** 4 months they leave the nest for good.

** 4-5 years to become adults (white head and tail).

** Young eagles stay with their parents even after they have grown to full size; they separate when they migrate.

Still More to Come-- RoadDog

Oh Dem Baldies

At the Iowa I-80 Welcome Center just over the Mississippi River, we picked up an Eagle Fact-Finder Statistics flyer. It had a whole lot of interesting facts about the bird we were looking for last week.

We had already figured out that young bald eagles did not have the tell-tale white-feathered heads. They don't get them until after their third year. So, if your're out eagle watching and see a bird the same size as a bald eagle, but without the white markings, you're looking at a juvenile.

In the air, wing beats are rather stiff and shallow and then there is a lot of gliding. When soaring, the wings are nearly flat.

Its voice is a rather weak, flat, chirping whistle, stuttering and variable. Definitely not the sound you'd expect to hear from such a magnificent bird.

Something I didn't know was that the male eagle is smaller than the female, but both are similarly marked, not like the male-female difference on smaller birds where the male is much more strikingly marked.

It's life span is generally 30-50 years.

More to Come. --RoadDog

Mission Accomplished: Oh, Those White Heads-- Part 2

Yesterday, January 20th, we decided to head back home by way of Starved Rock State Park in Utica where we've heard a lot of bald eagles winter.

Took I-80 east to Peru and got off to play NTN Buzztime at the BW3 (Buffalo Wild Wings), then back on I-80 for the short drive to Utica and Starved Rock. That is one really impressive lodge and we saw eagles flying along with a tree decorated with about 12 white ornaments (that's what the eagles look like sitting in it).

Also visited the Starved Rock Visitors Center and then took US-6 to Marseilles where we played NTN at the Illini Lodge. This made three new NTN sites for us this new year so far.

Then, on US-6 to Morris and north on Il-47. Had some great food at the Brownberry Inn in Elburn and then home to avoid all the cold coming in last night.

I'll go into more detail Monday.

Altogether, we saw 100 white heads, bald eagles.

A Great Tradition. --RoadDog

Mission Accomplished: Oh Those White Heads-- Part 1

We got back home last night a little after 7, but ahead of this doggone cold we're having today.

We put about 500 miles on the car in these days of rip-off gas prices. Thankfully, we get about 30 mpg. We saw 100 bald eagles by our count.

A quick overview of the trip:

JANUARY 18th-- TUESDAY

Left a noon and drove the US Grant Memorial Highway (US-20) west to East Dubuque, Illinois. Had dinner at Galena, Illinois' Log Cabin, in business since 1938. Did some drinking at the VFW and Flying Horse, where we also played NTN.

Checked into Swiss Inn in East Dubuque and enjoyed their bar.


JANUARY 19th-- WEDNESDAY

Left at 8. Saw six eagles at Dubuque, Iowa, Lock and Dam. Had Hardee's new loaded biscuits and gravy. US-52 to Bellevue, no eagles. We did see nine eagles south of town.

No eagles in Clinton and too full to eat at J&D Steakhouse. Saw eagles in Princeton and lots of them at the Bettendorf Lock and Dam. Visited Credit Island and saw only one eagle but lots of cardinals.

Played NTN at 20 Club in Moline, checked into Bettendorf Ramada Inn and grazed at the Corral (as in Golden). Sat out by the pool and went to the Old Ripoff (Old Chicago) before Buffalo Wild Wings.

More to Come. --RoadDog

Looks Like Eagles After All

We're getting ready to head out to the Mississippi River to see the eagles after all. Bad weather is predicted for the rest of the week, but we're hoping to squeeze some viewing in after all.

Planning on stopping in Galena, Illinois, to eat at the Log Cabin, and then stay at the old nom and pop Swiss Inn in East Dubuque. Like this place especially as they have a bar right in the place.

Tomorrow, bald eagles, we hope, at the Dubuque, Iowa, Lock and Dam and then driving south along the river on the Iowa side where we know of a few spots to see them. Perhaps Quad Cities tomorrow.

We'll be playing it by ear or snow after that.

Here's Hoping the Eagles and Weather Cooperate. --RoadDog