AMOUlilCEMEtr!' ; Statioii ^n o^ gives the results of a visit with Uncle 



Sam' s Naturalists of the United States Department of Agricultures This time 

 it is \7ith a bird specialist vjho tells us a few things about the American 

 eagle. 



Some folks seem to think that the only eagles left are those that 

 fly across our quarters and other siaall coins and roost on our gold pieces. 

 But there are still some of then in the wild right around our National Capital. 

 Dr. H. C. Oberholser says he can't see that there has been any big decrease 

 in them in most places. There are still thousands of eagles in all along our 

 coasts. And Dr. Oberholser knows his eagles. He is one of the leading bird 

 investigators of the Bureau of Biological Survey. 



American bald eagles are found pretty generally all over North America. 

 As a rule, however, they are most common near the coast. That is, within 

 about a hundred miles of the coast and up the big rivers and near the Great 

 Lakes. There are some American eagles also in the Mississippi Valley. Many 

 of them still live along our Atlantic Coast. There are more yet on the Pacific 

 side. They are most plentiful in Alaska and Florida. Climate doesn't make 

 nuch difference to a bald eagle, but he does like fish. Old Baldy woTildn't 

 care if every day were Friday. 



That fondness for fish. Dr. Oberholser tells me has caused these national 

 birds to be very unpopular with salmon canners in Alaska. The eagles some- 

 times beat the fishermen to the fish. Most of the salmon they eat, however, axe 

 those that die upstream after spawning. Yes, our proud old bird of prey is 

 sometimes quite a scavenger. 



In fact, ever since Benjamin Franklin first tried to have the wild 

 turkey made our nationsil bird instead of the ea^le, there have been a lot 

 of hard things said about the feeding habits of American eagles. But the 

 bald eagles are not so bad as they are sometimes painted. 



Dr. Oberholser says that on the whole eagles do more good than they do 

 harm. The fact that they are sone times scavengers should not be held against 

 them. That they are very useful to nan in this way is really a point in their 

 favor. 



But the American bald eagle seems to prefer his food fresh. This bird 

 of prey is the wild son of the wilds. He laist get his living by beak and talons, 

 as others of his kind do. He generally goes after it himself. However, he is 

 not above acting as an aerial hi-jacker. He often lets the Osprey catch fish 

 and then swoops down on the Osprey and forces him to let go his catch. 



Old Baldy even works a similar game with human duck hunters. When the 

 gunner brings down a duck, the ea^le may drop like a bolt from the blue and 

 carry it off before the sportsman can get to it. 



