Macatawa Eagles 2009
Bald eagles have been appearing around Lake Macatawa in Holland,
Michigan for about twenty winters. In 1968 when I took an
ornithology course at MSU there were only 500 nesting pairs in the
continental US. Now there are about 5,000 nesting pairs. The decline of
their population was first addressed with The Bald Eagle Protection Act
of 1940. 2007 was my first winter observing the bald eagles, and that
year some of my friends had reported spotting as many as eighteen
eagles in a group. The extreme cold of the winters has driven the bald
eagles south from their normal open water hunting areas of Northern
Michigan. The eagle numbers peaked In January and February to
around twenty eagles in 2007, and as many as thirty in 2008. In the
middle of January 2009 I spotted a dozen eagles in a tree at one time.
The warm water discharged by the power plant provides open water for
the eagle's fishing, but as the open water decreases the eagles seem to
spend more time flying out over Lake Michigan. The eagle numbers
begin to diminish by early March when they return to their regular
northern habitat.
I am happy to state that since my first "Macatawa Eagles" webpage in
2007 the eagle population in Michigan has doubled from about two
hundred eagles to four hundred eagles. In fact I was fortunate to
photograph an adult eagle near its nest on the Kalamazoo river this
summer. A juvenile eagle was successfully raised by the adult parents
and seen in flight with its family on many occasions.
It takes four to five years for the transformation from juvenile brown
plumage to adult black with white head and tail. The young juvenile
bird has an increased feather mass of about twenty percent to allow for
stability in flying - a little like training wheels I expect. The older
juvenile birds exhibit a change of brownish to more yellow in their beak
color, as well as more mass to the body, neck and head. The young
adults show a slightly flecked white through the black feathers until
full maturation. As in the rest of the raptor family the females are
generally thirty percent larger than the male.
It is breath taking to watch these huge birds fly so effortlessly. The
power of their wing strokes surpasses all other birds. Even on windy
days when most birds are grounded the eagles use their mass and
strength to navigate the sky.
The best place to observe the eagles is from Dutton Park next to the
Pfizer plant in Holland (off Howard Street). Do not miss the eagle's
majestic winter display, because when the ice melts the eagles will
return to the open waters of the north. If you have the patience to wait
with a good pair of binoculars, you will be rewarded with an
unforgettable experience.
Michigan for about twenty winters. In 1968 when I took an
ornithology course at MSU there were only 500 nesting pairs in the
continental US. Now there are about 5,000 nesting pairs. The decline of
their population was first addressed with The Bald Eagle Protection Act
of 1940. 2007 was my first winter observing the bald eagles, and that
year some of my friends had reported spotting as many as eighteen
eagles in a group. The extreme cold of the winters has driven the bald
eagles south from their normal open water hunting areas of Northern
Michigan. The eagle numbers peaked In January and February to
around twenty eagles in 2007, and as many as thirty in 2008. In the
middle of January 2009 I spotted a dozen eagles in a tree at one time.
The warm water discharged by the power plant provides open water for
the eagle's fishing, but as the open water decreases the eagles seem to
spend more time flying out over Lake Michigan. The eagle numbers
begin to diminish by early March when they return to their regular
northern habitat.
I am happy to state that since my first "Macatawa Eagles" webpage in
2007 the eagle population in Michigan has doubled from about two
hundred eagles to four hundred eagles. In fact I was fortunate to
photograph an adult eagle near its nest on the Kalamazoo river this
summer. A juvenile eagle was successfully raised by the adult parents
and seen in flight with its family on many occasions.
It takes four to five years for the transformation from juvenile brown
plumage to adult black with white head and tail. The young juvenile
bird has an increased feather mass of about twenty percent to allow for
stability in flying - a little like training wheels I expect. The older
juvenile birds exhibit a change of brownish to more yellow in their beak
color, as well as more mass to the body, neck and head. The young
adults show a slightly flecked white through the black feathers until
full maturation. As in the rest of the raptor family the females are
generally thirty percent larger than the male.
It is breath taking to watch these huge birds fly so effortlessly. The
power of their wing strokes surpasses all other birds. Even on windy
days when most birds are grounded the eagles use their mass and
strength to navigate the sky.
The best place to observe the eagles is from Dutton Park next to the
Pfizer plant in Holland (off Howard Street). Do not miss the eagle's
majestic winter display, because when the ice melts the eagles will
return to the open waters of the north. If you have the patience to wait
with a good pair of binoculars, you will be rewarded with an
unforgettable experience.
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