My parents came for a weekend visit, and in this quiet town with not a whole lot to do, in the dead of winter, when the temperatures stubbornly stick, when you ought not bring out the vegetable leavings to the compost tumbler when your hands are wet (as they will painfully stick to the metal latch), you have one biting thing to do, and that is to head to the backwaters of the Mississippi River and watch the eagles soar.
I've learned:
- a group of eagles is called either an aerie or a convocation
- aside from caring for young, eagles don't tend to travel in groups, so knowing this isn't as handy as one might expect
- while the bald eagle is still protected, it was taken off the Federal Endangered Species list in 2007
- males and females are identical in plumage coloration, though the female is often 25% larger
- in the wild, the bald eagle can survive up to thirty years
There are also plenty of ducks and crows about in the park.
It was a gray day, typical of winter here. The wind was bold, but in many ways, it was good the sun was not out: clear days are often much more bitterly cold. Since this park is known for its attraction to eagles, there were many cars chuffing away, passengers holding cameras at the ready.
