Eagles!
Eagles!
Dane is driving along Highway 61 on this gorgeous springlike morning. The sunshine makes me sleepy, But I’m fighting to keep my eyes open, not only because the view of the Mississippi River is stunning but also because we’re counting eagles. We’ve already seen seven.
Suddenly, Dane taps the brake. My eyes pop open. We’re in a cloud of juveniles!
“Eight, nine, ten!” I shout while Dane adds eleven, twelve, and thirteen. We both yell, “Fourteen!” Seven juvenile eagles, which were feeding on something nearby, were swarming in front of and around our car.
We’re going to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota, for their weekend festival, Soar with the Eagles. It will be our first visit to the Center.
After purchasing our tickets, we headed to the room called Ambassador Avenue. A man in a bright blue shirt answered questions and shared interesting facts with about fifteen people of all ages. Two bald eagles were perched close by.
As we inch our way to the front of the room, one of the eagles, Latsch, is hopping around frantically, flapping his wings. His foot is tethered to a chain. While I’m feeling sorry for the bird, Conor, the avian education specialist, shares that Latsch is still in training.
Latsch was spotted sitting on the ground below a nest in 2016 by a cruise ship captain. The following day the bird was still there, so the captain called the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It was discovered that Latsch (named after John A. Latsch, a conservationist who donated land along the Mississippi) was blind in his left eye.
Unable to survive in the wild, Latsch became an ambassador for the center in 2018. Today, at eight, he still overshoots his perch, flaps around a bit, then tries again and makes a perfect landing while the crowd cheers softly. He’s still in training.
Conor entertains us in a lively, theatrical give-and-take with the audience. We learn that Was’aka (19 years old), also male and noticeably smaller than Latsch, comes from Florida. He had a tumor over his left eye, making him unable to find food. Once the cancer was removed, he lost his eyesight and, like Latsch, was unable to live in the wild.
Was’aka means strength in Dakota, and although Was’aka is small at six pounds, he has a mighty presence. The size difference is related to the climate in which they were born. Latsch, a true Minnesotan, has a more substantial body due to the colder climate, and Was’aka is smaller because of the Florida heat.
Conor goes on to tell the crowd that eagles are bullies. They often wait for a gull to catch a fish, then fly in and steal it. Surprisingly, he also says they’re lazy! Eagles spend about 70 percent of their day sitting in a tree. Conor describes how they conserve their energy, don’t sweat (they pant and spread their wings in a Batman-like pose to cool off), and can soar at 30 mph or dive at 100 mph. But they don’t swim; they skim the water, snatch their prey, and then use their wings as oars to return to the shore.
By now, I’m hanging over the rail, wholly enthralled at having my questions answered so enthusiastically, while Dane is delightedly watching Was’aka tear into an enrichment toy that houses a treat.
Latsch doesn’t rip open his toy but keeps his good eye on Was’aka instead. Conor tells us that Latsch hopes to let Was’aka do the work and then steal his fish. Bullies indeed!
We’re shocked to see that over an hour has gone by, and we’ve yet to see the rest of the Center. Another program is offered at 1 p.m., so we pull ourselves away from Latsch, Was’aka, and Conor.
The next program is packed with hundreds of eagle lovers. We’re treated to a presentation by a group of powwow dancers featuring colorful costumes and intricate footwork, after which I participate in a friendship dance where we hold hands and form an enormous circle.
But what stands out the most to Dane and me is the military presentation. The Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marines are all featured. As each representative carrying a flag is introduced, that military branch's flag is unfurled for us to view. Each flag features the image of a bald eagle!
On our way home, Dane comments on how we see eagles as representing bravery, strength, and freedom, yet we’ve discovered they’re actually bullies and quite lazy! Still, we agree that eagles are truly majestic birds.
Sitting as straight as the car seat will allow to spot eagles, I point and yell, “Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine! Three more eagles are resting in a tree before we cross the river into Wisconsin.
