2007 Bald Eagle Festival, Journal Entry
For thirteen years running, the community of Haines, Alaska has celebrated the American Bald Eagle, our country’s national bird. This year’s festival was held November 7-11. Located about twenty miles north of Haines, the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve’s 48,000 acres hosts 3500-4000 eagles every fall/winter. This gathering is considered to be the largest concentration of eagles in the world. An underground reservoir of water, that in part feeds the Chilkat River, allows a 4-5 mile stretch of the river to remain ice free throughout the winter, and attracts the eagles to feed on the late run of chum salmon.
Survival is a contact sport, and the eagles can be surprisingly aggressive towards each other as they vie for even the tiniest piece of salmon. Dive bombing an opponent with claws stretched open often results in a violent sounding collision, yet amazingly the birds rarely do each other harm. Once the salmon has been confiscated, the eagle will often vocalize to express its dominance, at least for the moment; they are hyper-vigilant for good reason as the “dominant” bird now becomes the target of other birds to feed on the salmon. Sometimes as the eagles fight, a piece of salmon will temporarily be abandoned. It does not take long for the sea gulls, ravens, and magpies to sneak a bite. They are the constant companions of the eagles and will manage to survive on leftovers; in nature nothing is wasted.
Near the end of the festival it has become tradition to release several eagles that have been rehabilitated in captivity. The very first bird, hand released by the winner of an auction, flew perhaps thirty feet and then landed at the end of the “runway” surrounded on three sides by on lookers (bald eagle release). This juvenile eagle (estimated to be 2-3 years old by the color of its plumage) did not know what to do with its new-found freedom and sat quietly for a minute looking around. Finally, it flew down to the river to join the many eagles feeding on the salmon banquet. I did not realize it until I got home and a photographer friend of mine mentioned it, but the background colors of the coats of the spectators were red, white, and blue. How appropriate that our flag’s colors and the bald eagle, symbols of our country’s never ending quest for freedom, were juxtaposed.
Survival is a contact sport, and the eagles can be surprisingly aggressive towards each other as they vie for even the tiniest piece of salmon. Dive bombing an opponent with claws stretched open often results in a violent sounding collision, yet amazingly the birds rarely do each other harm. Once the salmon has been confiscated, the eagle will often vocalize to express its dominance, at least for the moment; they are hyper-vigilant for good reason as the “dominant” bird now becomes the target of other birds to feed on the salmon. Sometimes as the eagles fight, a piece of salmon will temporarily be abandoned. It does not take long for the sea gulls, ravens, and magpies to sneak a bite. They are the constant companions of the eagles and will manage to survive on leftovers; in nature nothing is wasted.
Near the end of the festival it has become tradition to release several eagles that have been rehabilitated in captivity. The very first bird, hand released by the winner of an auction, flew perhaps thirty feet and then landed at the end of the “runway” surrounded on three sides by on lookers (bald eagle release). This juvenile eagle (estimated to be 2-3 years old by the color of its plumage) did not know what to do with its new-found freedom and sat quietly for a minute looking around. Finally, it flew down to the river to join the many eagles feeding on the salmon banquet. I did not realize it until I got home and a photographer friend of mine mentioned it, but the background colors of the coats of the spectators were red, white, and blue. How appropriate that our flag’s colors and the bald eagle, symbols of our country’s never ending quest for freedom, were juxtaposed.