Bald Eagle Appreciation Days Jan. 16-17:
A success story to celebrate
Young bald eagles are known to fly enormous distances, but only one holds the record for the longest-recorded continuous flight: The six-month old bald eagle that came to be called Lolar.
The majestic bald eagle has an enormous range from Mexico to Alaska, but only once has one been known to land in Ireland.
It was November 1987 when an Irish farmer alerted rangers that an enormous bird was eating his pig food. When ranger Pat O'Connell arrived he discovered the amazing truth: A young bald eagle, native to North America, had somehow flown 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. It was starving and exhausted. But it was alive. The ranger tended to the bird for six months until wildlife experts returned the bird to North America and released him. O'Connell received a thank you note from President Ronald Reagan.
There were about 100,000 nesting eagles when the bald eagle became our national symbol in 1782, according to US Fish and Wildlife experts. By 1963, the official count was down to 487.
In 40 years, that changed. Federal conservation and protection laws worked to stabilize and then grow the population. Today, the population has rebounded to almost 10,000 mating pairs.
This powerful bird sports a wingspan of 6 to more than 7 feet, has wicked-long talons and a flesh-shredding beak.
The National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota is famed for its wild eagle viewing November through April.
About 2,500 eagles spend the winter along the river between Minneapolis and St. Louis.
Keokuk, Iowa, celebrates its 32nd Annual Bald Eagle Appreciation Days on Jan. 16-17. St. Louis County, MO, and Madison Country, IL, celebrate their 19th annual Eagle Days on the same dates. Some states honor the bald eagle on other January dates, and many coastal states honor them in February or March.
