Tag Archives: bald eagles

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

Take 5: Winter Eagles

In addition to having the distinction of being the official emblem of the United States, Bald Eagles are also one of the great conservation success stories. Once considered a rare breeder in the state, reintroduction efforts have been successful enough that Bald Eagles are seen with increasing frequency year-round in Massachusetts and the number of nesting eagles continues to rise each year.

When ice forms on interior lakes, Bald Eagles move to river mouths along the coast where they can fish in the open water. The mouth of the Merrimack often has a number of wintering eagles, which is why the Merrimack River Eagle Festival, co-hosted by Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, takes place in mid-February.

You’ll find ample opportunities to spot Bald Eagles both during the festival and during any number of eagle programs in your area, but until then, here are five photos of eagles in winter from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest for you to enjoy.

Bald Eagle © Kyle Wilmarth
Bald Eagle © Kyle Wilmarth
Bald Eagles © Jenny Zhao
Juvenile Bald Eagles © Jenny Zhao
Bald Eagle © Dan Davis
Bald Eagle © Dan Davis
Bald Eagle © Lea Fiega
Bald Eagle © Lea Fiega
Bald Eagle © Claudia Carpinone
Bald Eagle © Claudia Carpinone