Children are learning about bald eagles for America 250.
The majestic birds live in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties, families learned June 22 when they listened to Joy Etter-Link, a program assistant at the Crawford Park District.
“Almost everywhere you go in Ohio, you’re going to find an eagle,” Etter-Link said.
There are 13 nesting pairs of eagles in Richland County, and 11 in Crawford County.
Ohio’s bald eagle population has been on the rise since 1979, when only four nesting pairs were found statewide. Conservation efforts allowed bald eagles to be removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007, and from Ohio’s list in 2012.
“Their nests are at the very top of of tall trees,” Etter-Link said. “That keeps them safe.”
That protection is for the babies, called eaglets, moreso than the adults.
“Eagles don’t have any natural predators,” Etter-Link said. “Nothing hunts them.”
What did Benjamin Franklin think of bald eagles?
Children learned that the bald eagle was not the first choice when founders of the United State selected our national bird.
“Not everyone wanted it to be the bald eagle,” Etter-Link said. “Some people wanted it to be the turkey.”
A common myth that Benjamin Franklin was among them has been dispelled by The Franklin Institute, which was created in honor of Franklin, often revered as America’s first scientist.
That rumor started after Franklin was critical of the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying the bald eagle on it looked more like a turkey.
Franklin did say, however, that the bald eagle “is a bird of bad moral character.” The founding father was not impressed that they often scavenge for food rather than hunt for every meal.
Franklin added that wild turkeys are “a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original Native of America … he is besides, though a little vain and silly, a bird of courage.”
Founding fathers placed the bald eagle on the Great Seal in 1782.
How long do bald eagles live?
Like every other wild creature, bald eagles must live near abundant food supplies.
“What do eagles eat?” Etter-Link asked the children.
“Fish!” a girl shouted.
“Yes,” Etter-Link said. “They love fish.”
That’s why there are more bald eagles near Lake Erie and other large bodies of water. In rural areas throughout North Central Ohio, eagles nest near ponds and rivers with abundant supplies of fish.
“How long do you think bald eagles can live?” Etter-Link asked.
“About eight years,” a boy said.
“They can actually live up to 30 years,” Etter-Link said. “How old are you?”
“Ten,” the boy said.
“That means they can live three times longer than you are now,” Etter-Link said. “So they can live a long time.”
Bald eagles can see a mile away, which helps them focus on prey while they’re flying.
“And they don’t even have to wear glasses,” Etter-Link said. “They can see a long way.”
Contact Zach Tuggle at 419-564-3508. Follow him on X at @zachtuggle.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Children learn about bald eagles at park district during America 250
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
