Bald Eagles on Miramichi River

Bald Eagle. Source: Wikipedia

Along our stretch of the Miramichi River, we’ve enjoyed observing a family (three juvenile bolides and two mature eagles) of bald eagles since opening the lodge in April.  As bald eagle populations have begun resurrecting in Canada over the past few years, we’ve begun to associate their presence with their primary food source – fish. This excites us, for obvious reasons, but we’ve also gained additional respect for nature: even when we think fish are absent from the river, a bald eagle will swoop down from nowhere and return to the sky with the family meal. (They didn’t get the “catch and release” memo, apparently!)

Here’s a snippet of information from a Canadian government fact sheet on the bald eagle.

The scientific name for this powerful predator is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. (Haliaeetus means “sea eagle” and leucocephalus means “white head”.) Adult females are generally larger than the males, though both have the same characteristic plumage. The juvenile birds are a mixture of brown and white until they reach four or five years of age. At maturity, between four and eight years of age, the birds have dark brown feathers on their bodies and wings, snow-white feathers on their heads and tails, and yellow legs, eyes and beaks. As singular as their appearance, the eagles’ call is a haunting series of high-pitched cries, similar to a gull’s call but delivered more quickly and with more apparent urgency.

To read more about the history of the bald eagle in New Brunswick check out this link.

Other birds we see regularly include osprey and cormorant (and many more). Come see them with us!