A winter Visitor

Keep your eyes open and you might see our National Emblem in Fairfield Glade. Yes, there is a beautiful American Bald Eagle visiting Fairfield Glade this winter.

I am a little surprised… not to see one in Tennessee, but because this Bald Eagle seems to be hanging around Fairfield Glade, not just passing through. Bald Eagles both nest year round and migrate in the winter in Tennessee. They migrate from the north to find open water and more fish. But they usually like two things…very large bodies of water and lack of human activity. We have bodies of water in Fairfield Glade but they aren’t large by eagle standards and all of our lakes are surrounded by houses and humans. We are extremely lucky and privileged to have such a wonderful visitor. The beautiful picture here was taken by Linda Sisco on Lake Dartmoor from her kitchen window. But I have heard from other Glade residents that the magnificent bird was also seen on Lake St. George and even tiny Spring Lake. Linda and her husband have seen the eagle around this year since late November. One was here last year also…probably the same one.

As you know, our National Bird was nearly extinct in the early 1960’s. Loss of habitat, shooting, and especially DDT (a pesticide) was blamed for reducing the number of Bald Eagles to only around 400 nesting pairs in the continental U.S. They have since recovered to about 10,000 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states and they were removed from the “Threatened and Endangered Species List” about 6 months ago. Even so, they are still highly protected by law. You could go to jail for even possessing one Bald Eagle feather. The Bald Eagle only lives in North America, with the majority found from Alaska to the northwest U.S.; but they are also found in all states except Hawaii, especially along both coasts. The total population is around 70,000 birds today. What a remarkable and wonderful recovery!

If you want to see Fairfield Glade’s Bald Eagle (I am guessing there is only one here at this time) here are some ideas. First, whatever you do, don’t get too close…eagles are very sensitive to human activity and are easily disturbed….you may scare it out of the county so no one can see it. Viewing from a car or a house is the best way to not disturb the eagle. While fly fishing in Oklahoma a few years ago a little 10 year old boy told me that looking for “trash in the trees” is how to spot eagles. What looks like a white plastic bag or a white piece of paper in a tree could be the white head or tail of a mature eagle (young eagles don’t get the white head and tail until about 5 years of age). Look in the tall trees near the lakes. Bald Eagles perch in the tallest trees to search for fish swimming or floating in the water. I have seen them in Colorado along a trout stream where each eagle had its own favorite tree. They eat fish almost exclusively but will eat ducks, rabbits, turtles, or even carrion at times. Look for a very large bird. Bald Eagles are 3 feet tall and have a wingspan of 6-8 feet. By contrast, a large crow has a 3 foot wingspan.

It is doubtful that “our” Bald Eagle will nest here since our lakes are small, but about 40 eagle pairs do nest in Tennessee. If you really want to see lots of Bald Eagles visit Reelfoot Lake in far northwest Tennessee. About 200 Bald Eagles visit there in the winter and about 10 pairs stay and nest there each year. There are eagle tours and festivities at Reelfoot Lake until the first weekend in March.

Bald Eagles live to about 30 years in the wild so if we treat this one with the respect and dignity that it deserves maybe he/she will visit FFG every year. What a nice winter treat for us! Thanks to Linda Sisco for getting a great picture for all of us to see.