EASTERN GOLDEN EAGLES

     Many people don't realize that a stable population of about 5,000 stately eastern golden eagles nest in the remote, vast forests of eastern Canada.  Most folks don't know that most of those regal eagles migrate south along the southwest running Appalachian mountains during October and November.  And that most of those magnificent raptors winter in the forested mountain regions of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the Great Smokey Mountains.  

     During their migrations south for the winter, most eastern golden eagles soar majestically along the Appalachians on west and northwest winds because those winds are pushed up the northwest-facing slopes of the mountains and over them by strong wind from behind, pushing the eagles up as well.  Gravity wants to pull the eagles down while wind pushes them up, the result being, with wing and tail adjustments, the eagles push ahead, mile after mile, for hours, with scarcely a wingbeat.  That easy gliding for hours saves the eagles a lot of energy.      

     Regal birds of prey, eastern golden eagles have six and a half foot wing spans and weigh up to fourteen pounds.  They have dark-brown feathering all over, except for golden feathers on their necks and heads.  Immature birds have much white at the bases of their tails, distinguishing them from adult goldens.  

     Each pair of eastern golden eagles annually raises one or two offspring in a stick and twig nursery in a crevice in a lofty cliff, or high in a tall tree.  There they feed their young rabbits, wood chucks, foxes, grouse, ducks and other, similar-sized prey.  Each pair has a range of about 25 square miles of woods and fields, which they defend from other eagles.  Golden eagles ambush prey by soaring and watching below with excellent vision, or perching on cliffs and in tall trees.

     In winter, eastern golden eagles prey on the same critters as in summer, but also scavenge any wild creatures, or livestock, they happen across, especially white-tailed deer.  

     Though protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, eastern golden eagles are threatened by habitat loss, wind turbines, shooting and poisoning, all of which are human-made problems.  More study needs to be done as to where wind turbines may work with the least threat to any kinds of birds.  And shooting and poisoning must be stopped as much as possible to allow these birds, and other species, chances to live longer without being threatened by human activities.

     Eastern golden eagles are stately and associated with wilderness.  They, and all species of life, have a right to live on Earth.  And we humans benefit from these majestic eagles by being inspired by their elegance and life histories. 


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