{"id":35567,"date":"2026-02-25T17:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=35567"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:55:27","slug":"have-you-seen-a-soaring-eagle-lately-morning-ag-clips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/have-you-seen-a-soaring-eagle-lately-morning-ag-clips\/","title":{"rendered":"Have You Seen a Soaring Eagle Lately? Morning Ag Clips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morning AgClips<\/a><\/em>: Have you seen a bald eagle recently? I still marvel when I see one soaring in flight. It\u2019s exciting to see them swoop down near the surface of a river and snatch a fish. You may have even taken advantage of watching \u201ceagle cams,\u201d 24-hour video feeds of an eagle\u2019s nest. You may have participated in an \u201cEagle Watch\u201d event, hosted by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Or, perhaps you have seen and kept an eye on an eagle\u2019s nest near you!<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>

Mathew Schwartz, Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus<\/em>) has been the national bird of the United States since 1782, when it was adopted as a core element in the Great Seal of the United States.<\/p>\n

Apparently, a long-standing and frequently perpetuated myth in American history is that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey to the eagle as a national symbol. According to Harvard University, his tongue-in-cheek comments berating the eagle while extolling the turkey were taken out of context. Evidently, they were meant as a joke regarding the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati, in which Franklin thought the bird depicted looked more like a turkey than an eagle. (I\u2019m not a historian; you can do your own research and decide for yourself.)<\/p>\n

Once a federal- and state-endangered species, due to hunting and use of certain pesticides (now banned), the bald eagle has recovered quite well.<\/p>\n

Brian MacGowan, Purdue Extension wildlife specialist, said that bald eagles were once listed under the Endangered Species Act. \u201cHowever, their populations recovered to a level where they were delisted,\u201d he said. \u201cEven so, Bald Eagles are still offered some level of protection under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indiana DNR reported that in 2020, there were more than 350 nesting territories in\u00a0Indiana<\/a>. Bald eagles have been sighted in almost every Indiana county.<\/p>\n

You might assume that springtime is bald eagle breeding season, but bald eagles breed in the winter. \u201cWinter is a time when Bald Eagles build nests in large trees or snags near sources of food \u2013 rivers, streams, and lakes,\u201d said MacGowan. \u201cThe nests they construct are very large (4-6 feet in diameter) and can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.\u201d He said they also construct alternate nests within their territory and will usually return to the same nesting territory year after year.<\/p>\n

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website offers more facts on bald eagles and their young. They write that wintering eagles prefer mature trees along large, open bodies of water for daytime perches. At night, large trees in sheltered valleys and ravines are preferred for roosting, and it is common for eagles to roost in small groups during winter.<\/p>\n

Indiana DNR further states that eagle eggs have a 35-day incubation period and that young eagles leave the nest or \u201cfledge\u201d at 11-12 weeks old. Adult eagles do not begin to nest until they are 4 or 5 years old. Eagles mate for life and return each year to the same location to nest and breed, selecting nest sites close to where they were raised as young.<\/p>\n

View Morning AgClips full article for more interesting facts of bald eagles: Have You Seen A Soaring Eagle Lately?<\/a><\/p>\n

To subscribe and receive the Morning AgClips Newsletter by email view, Subscribe to Our Daily Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resources:
\n<\/strong>Bald Eagle Breeding Season is Upon Us<\/a>, Purdue Extension – Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) Got Nature? Blog
\nIndiana Department of Natural Resources Shares Bald Eagle Successfully Recovered<\/a>, MyDNR, Indiana’s Outdoor News
\nBald Eagle<\/a>, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN DNR)
\nForestry for the Birds Virtual Tour<\/a>, Purdue Extension – Pond and Wildlife
\nBreeding Birds and Forest Management: the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment and the Central Hardwoods Region<\/a>, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
\nForest Birds<\/a>, The Education Store
\nManaging Woodlands for Birds<\/a>, The Education Store
\nManaging Woodlands for Birds Video<\/a>, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel
\nBreeding Birds and Forest Management: the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment and the Central Hardwoods Region<\/a>, The Education Store
\nThe Birders’ Dozen, Profile: Baltimore Oriole<\/a>, Indiana Woodland Steward
\nAsk An Expert: Birdwatching<\/a>, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube channel
\nBirds and Residential Window Strikes: Tips for Prevention<\/a>, The Education Store
\nNo Room at the Inn: Suburban Backyards and Migratory Birds<\/a>, The Education Store<\/p>\n

Morning AgClips<\/a><\/p>\n

John E. Woodmansee<\/a>, Extension Educator – Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR)
\nPurdue Extension – Whitely County<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morning AgClips: Have you seen a bald eagle recently? I still marvel when I see one soaring in flight. It\u2019s exciting to see them swoop down near the surface of a river and snatch a fish. You may have even taken advantage of watching \u201ceagle cams,\u201d 24-hour video feeds of an eagle\u2019s nest. You may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54],"tags":[1603,1335,583,2032,72],"class_list":["post-35567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urbanforestry","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-bald-eagle","tag-birds","tag-morning-agclips","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-21 09:06:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35567"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39089,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35567\/revisions\/39089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}