Blog @ Work

The eagle has landed

Prompt: Why do you think bald eagle became a symbol of USA? And what would you do if a bald eagle landed on the roof of your dwelling and began eyeing you? (BC)

Since Roman times the eagle has been used as a symbol for governmental power. It was chosen because of its association with authority and statehood, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on the continent of the USA. The bald eagle was chosen in 1782 and officially adopted as the emblem of the United States in 1787 by Congress.

Benjamin Franklin didn’t agree:
He is a bird of bad moral character, he does not get his living honestly, you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to its nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him.... Besides he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. (American Bald Eagle Information)

President John F. Kennedy on the other hand wrote:
The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America. But as latter-day citizens we shall fail our trust if we permit the eagle to disappear. (US department of Veteran Affairs)

In the late-1800s, The States was home to 100,000 nesting bald eagles, but the number of birds soon dwindled due to such factors as habitat destruction and hunting. In the 1960s, there were only around 400 breeding pairs left in the continental U.S., and in 1978 the bald eagle was put on the endangered species list. In 2007 it was removed completely from the list due to federal protections as well as regulations involving DDT, a pesticide that came into wide use following World War II.

When this majestic bird would land on my rooftop I would grab my camera, take a snapshot and watch the birds great looks. I then would lock myself inside, because I have seen Birds by Alfred Hitchcock too, so something must be wrong here to land for this bird on my doorsteps in the city. I would close windows and doors, turn on the local news and wait for the rescue teams to arrive. Eyeballing this bird I would be chicken!

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