Tag Archives: America

Bald Eagle © Brendon Curtis

Take 5: America’s Got Talons

The Bald Eagle has been a powerful emblem for not hundreds but thousands of years: Long before it was adopted as the official emblem of the United States in 1782, the Bald Eagle was revered by many Indigenous peoples as sacred for its majesty and strength.

Despite their symbolic significance, Bald Eagles faced near extinction in the 1950s and 1960s due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT. In 1982, the MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) teamed up with Mass Audubon to launch a project to restore the Bald Eagle as a breeding bird in the Commonwealth. There are now more than 70 active Bald Eagle nests in the Bay State, and 2020 saw the first nesting effort on Cape Cod since 1905, a truly remarkable conservation success.

In honor of our national bird, you can learn more about Bald Eagles and enjoy these five photos from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. Happy 4th!

Bald Eagle © David Morris
Bald Eagle © David Morris
Bald Eagle © Paula Gentile
Bald Eagle © Paula Gentile
Bald Eagle © Dan Davis
Bald Eagle © Dan Davis
Bald Eagle © Christopher Peterson
Bald Eagle © Christopher Peterson
Bald Eagle © Brendon Curtis
Bald Eagle © Brendon Curtis
An osprey perched on a power line with an American flag flying in the background

Take 5: America the Beautiful

What is it that makes America so beautiful? Our breathtaking lands and wildlife, of course!

To celebrate our nation’s 243rd birthday this week, here are five photos from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest, each of which includes an appearance by the American flag as well as some wildlife and scenic habitats from the lands we hold so dear.

Learn more about our work to conserve our most precious land here in Massachusetts and submit your own photos to the photo contest today!

A wild turkey walks through a field of grass filled with small American flags
Wild Turkey © Marie Riva
The American flag flies in the foreground over a tidal flat with kayakers in the mid-ground and the ocean in the background.
© Greg Stokinger
A Red-tailed hawk perches on a rock in the garden of a home with an American flag in the foreground and patriotic bunting behind it.
Red-tailed Hawk © Gail Sartori
The American flag flies over a green tractor in a field of sunflowers
© Jen Shepherd
An osprey perched on a power line with an American flag flying in the background
Osprey © Steve DiGiandomenico