Episode 117 (July 2, 2012): Bald Eagle

Click to listen to episode (2:12).

Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of July 2, 2012.

This week we feature a Fourth of July mystery sound.  Have a listen for about 20 seconds, and see if you can guess what’s making the chirping, squawking, and wailing sounds.  And here’s a hint: If Benjamin Franklin had gotten his way, your wallet might contain a picture of a Wild Turkey instead of a likeness of this creature.

SOUND.

If you guessed a Bald Eagle, you’re right!  Despite disapproval by Dr. Franklin, the image of an eagle was included in the Great Seal of the United States that was adopted in 1782.  Real Bald Eagles, having recovered dramatically from endangered status in the lower 48 states, are found near large water bodies in all of the United States except Hawaii.  They can be seen in much of Virginia, but most Virginia breeding pairs are found along Coastal Plain region waterways.  In these areas the birds nest in tall trees, using interwoven sticks, grass, and other materials to build structures that may be quite large, weigh hundreds of pounds, and be re-used for many years.  Thanks to Lang Elliott of NatureSound Studio for permission to use this week’s sound.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES 

Acknowledgments: The sounds of the Bald Eagle were taken from the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs-Eastern Region CD set, by Lang Elliott with Donald and Lillian Stokes (Time Warner Audio Books, copyright 1997), used with permission of Lang Elliott and NatureSound Studio (online at http://www.naturesound.com/corepage/core.html).  Sounds of Bald Eagles were used previously as part of Virginia Water Radio Episode 57 (week of March 14, 2011; now archived).

Sources: Information on Bald Eagles was taken from the “American Bald Eagle Information” Web site at http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/; the Center for Conservation Biology’s “Virginia Bald Eagle Information” Web site at http://www.ccb-wm.org/virginiaeagles/index.htm (the Center for Conservation Biology is a joint program between the College of William and Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University); and the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s “Birds of North America Online” at http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna (a subscription is needed).

Other useful sources are A Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America, by Chandler S. Robbins et al. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001); Life in the Chesapeake Bay, by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006); the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s “Bird Guide” Web site at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search; and the Chesapeake Bay Program Web site at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/bald_eagle.

Recent Virginia Water News

            For news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Water Meetings and Other Events

            For events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/.  The site includes a list of Virginia government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.