About the Eagles

Bald eagles at Ellis Park, Cedar Rapids

Bald eagle sits above the street in Ellis Park

There are eagles in Iowa.

Long before Iowa was even a glimmer in our eyes, I watched a fascinating program about bald eagles on PBS's Nature. Just because one has a 6-7 ft. wingspan and eyes five times more powerful than a human's does not mean life is easy. It takes a lot of energy to carry that body around. If it cannot grab a fish in open water or find a nice dead something, even the national bird will start feeling poorly.

The Cedar River is not five minutes away and it has become my daily escape from unpacking boxes. Sometimes I go more than once a day to Ellis Park and drive along the shore looking for eagles or other birds. Last week, I saw eight of them all gathered in trees near the water, their white heads shining brightly in the afternoon sun. I could hear them calling, a high pitched, almost chipping sound.

 

I also heard the couple dozen crows that were cawing like mad because have you ever known a murder of crows to be peaceable? Sidebar on the crows: Another PBS feature to watch. You know crows can recognize facial features and they can tell their young uns to beware of you? I now make it a point to be nice to crows in order not to cause offense and have my reputation trashed.

According to Iowa DNR, bald eagles once were plentiful in these parts, but by 1900 they had all but disappeared due to the advance of civilization. And there was the ravaging DDT which increased in concentration as one went up the food chain. Since DDT was banned in the late 1960s, eagles and other raptors have made a comeback.

Eagle watching: Something good about an Eastern Iowa winter.