The success of the American Bald Eagle
In the United States the bald eagle has been the national emblem since 1782, additionally for the indigenous populations they hold spiritual significance. Therefore, any artwork containing an Eagle brings implied content and I have avoided doing any significant piece about them. However, over the past few years I have regularly seen one or two of them flying past my home. Watching them soar with their majestic wingspan and bright white heads inspire awe.
Beyond the symbolic associations the bald eagle is an ecological success story. As a child, in the 1970s, I remember annual trips to the Philadelphia Zoo. Across from the lunch tables there was a narrow and tall enclosure containing an eagle. This seemed like an odd lunchtime companion. There were always remnants of the Eagle's meal laying inside the domain. His lunch definitely made eating my lunch less appealing.
The zoo keepers would talk to our class about the national symbol. We learned there was a chemical called DDT that was making their eggs soft, and without intervention the eagles would be extinct. In 1972 DDT was banned from most uses in the United States. In 1970 there were about 400 breeding pairs of Eagles throughout the 48 contiguous states. Today the population has flourished to approximately 316,700 breeding pairs. Today in New Jersey, where I live, there is reported at least 1 nesting pair in each of the state's 21 counties. The most recent count I could find was completed in 2020 by NJ's Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. "They monitored a record 220 nesting pairs of eagles that produced 307 young. An additional 28 pairs were tracked at nests but did not lay eggs."
Eagles are apex predators and raptors. As apex predators they are classified as an indicator species, assisting scientists in detecting environmental change. Growing up in the 1970s I could not imagine looking up and regularly seeing these beautiful creatures soaring above. For me their success is a sign that humans have the potential to change their harmful behaviors. The Eagle’s could have easily been eradicated, but because of many individuals fighting to change the environmental conditions the eagles survived.
While the Eagles numbers have increased they still face several threats including habitat destruction, lead poisoning, collision with obstacles such as wind turbines and entanglement in monofilaments and fishing hooks.
I became interested in creating this piece when I saw a photograph of a juvenile and adult in a talon lock. Erik Winits' image reminded me of the tension I sometimes feel with my own kids. Wanting them to stay close but knowing they need to explore. The photograph motivated me to work on this piece.
Eagles will lock talons for various reasons, primarily courtship and territorial disputes. Juveniles can be observed practicing talon locking. You can view an Eagle courtship spiral at:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ1VQ-4LYAI
