Bird Brains

It was their turn; Bob and Deb decided that since we drove to the Arboretum a couple of weeks ago, it was their turn to drive to a Minnesota destination for us to explore. Anna and I were invited to check out the eagles at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. For those who are not familiar with Minnesota geography, Wabasha is a small city on the shore of the Mississippi River, about a twenty minute drive south of Red Wing. What do you mean you're not familiar with Red Wing? Do you wear shoes? The famous Red Wing shoe company is the biggest employer in town. Anyway, back to the birds. We got to Wabasha and had a lovely picnic lunch under the Wabasha bridge, and then headed for the Eagle Center. There we learned that the reason there are so many bald eagles in Minnesota is because the state is right on a major mid-west migratory route. With the large quantity of lakes there is plenty for the eagles to eat. We also learned that the best time of year to view eagles along the river is in February and March, and the least likely time to see eagles is in the middle of summer. That explains why we didn't see any eagles for quite awhile. Even so, the Eagle Center is a wonderful place to visit because they have lots of information about eagles, and they have their own resident eagles on site. There are two bald eagles named Columbia and Harriet, and they have my personal favorite, a golden eagle named Donald. All of the eagles are there as a result of their injuries that were a result of encounters with motor vehicles and cannot be released back into the wild. The eagles are well cared for and healthy, and the staff is very proud of their work with these birds.

We took quite a bit of time exploring the center and then finally made our way out onto the deck outside overlooking the river. They have installed a small telescope on the deck to assist visitors in their search for eagles and I can tell you from experience that it works. I saw a large black bulge in the upper portion of a dead tree across the river and thought it might be an eagle, so we trained the telescope on it and sure enough, there was a big, beautiful bald eagle just sitting there, enjoying the sunshine and watching the river go by. The eagle hardly moved the whole time we were watching it, only moving to scratch its beak or turn its head. It was thrilling to see the symbol of America in the wild, even though it was not the first bald eagle I have seen, or even the closest. But seeing these birds in the wild and enjoying their beauty is always a thrill.

After watching the eagle in the wild Bob and I figured we could imitate an eagle, so we tried on eagle masks in the gift shop. I think I would scare too many kids if I wore this thing on Halloween, so we left these masks behind. Besides, anything I buy now Anna and I have to move, so we consider these things very carefully.
Blogged by Don