Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Memories of Bald Eagles

Our family has been eagle-crazy for a long time.

Dad used to reminisce about his grandfather taking him and his family out on a Sunday drive to see one of the famous eagle nests out near Vermilion in the 1920s. It was something he never got tired of talking about. Probably due to Dad's influence, several of my siblings as adults have taken Alaskan cruises specifically to see Bald Eagles.

I've seen my share of eagles – right close to home, too. Back in May 2003, an eagle flew right over my house in Sheffield Lake. He was coming from Lake Erie, and carrying a walleye. How do I know? Because the birds that were chasing him eventually caused him to drop the fish – which landed in the driveway of the house directly across Lake Road from us! (I explained to the surprised resident when she got home why there was a large fish in her driveway.)

More recently, in November 2010, I saw an eagle flying along the shoreline by the former Ford plant near Vermilion. I chased him quite a while along Route 6 to get the shot below.

I even have a few eagle figurines. The one at the top if the post was made in Germany by Schleich (the same company that makes those rubber Smurfs); the one at left was picked up at Souvenir City in Niagara Falls, Canada.

Anyway, I have a sentimental attachment to eagles.

That's why I'm presenting two eagle-related posts beginning tomorrow. Thursday's post deals with the often forgotten eagles of Avon Lake, and the post on Friday tells the better-known story of Brownhelm's eagles, which I promised you all the way back in 2011. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Eagle flying by the old Ford plant near Vermilion, November 2010

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.farmyou.com/falcon_cams/index.html


3 eggs!
rae

Anonymous said...

http://www.raptorresource.org/

3 eggs!

take 2,
rae

Anonymous said...

Dan, I live in Vermilion and I have a place in Marblehead. No matter which place I am at, I see at least 3 to 4 eagles EVERYDAY. I could show you at least 10 active nests. During the last thaw,when the lake opened up between Kellys Island and Marblehead, there were 11 eagles spread out along the water/ice line.

Dan Brady said...

That's incredible--I'm jealous. I know there are nests out near Huron and Sandusky, and it is rumored that there is a nest down at the Black River in Lorain, and even one by Mill Hollow, but I never see any eagles despite that fact that I spend a lot of time around those places! We used to drive out by Sandusky to see the nest behind the Old Dutch bar on Perkins, but it fell at some point and that was that.

The last one I saw was a couple years ago when we were walking the old Cedar Point Chaussee that is now a walking path.

Anonymous said...

Dan.. I left Vermilion at 4:45pm and arrived in Marblehead at 6:00pm [stopped for gas and fast food on the way] 6 Eagles...1 over Old Womens Creek, 1 over the Huron River, 2 over Sandusky Bay Bridge - doing their courtship flights, 1 was 2 miles west of Marblehead and 1 flying over the ferry boat dock in the village... See told ya

Dan Brady said...

Wow--guess I gotta get a job in Sandusky... I don't see any on the way to Cleveland!

Anonymous said...

Dan, this one is close to you.

http://www.morningjournal.com/general-news/20131214/bald-eagles-make-nest-in-lorain-local-bird-watchers-say-with-video