[dovate.com] » the eagle has landed
the eagle has landed
About a month ago I sat in the passenger seat of a car heading north on I-95. To my right was the riverside industrial expanse on the eastern border of Fishtown. I stared out the window admiring the bare complexity of the industrial landscape. Coming in over the river were 2 very large birds. Judging by their size, I assumed they were Great Blue Herons. They flew north, generally parallel to the car, but on a trajectory that would bring them over the highway and into the Fishtown/Frankford neighborhood.
As they got closer I clearly saw a white head. Still thinking they were some kind of heron, I stared with growing interest. They flew more like hawks, but they were far too big. I looked for a tucked in neck, or the long legs of a large water bird, but they were absent. As they flew closer to the car I realized that these were definitely very large raptors. They also clearly had the unmistakable white heads and tails of bald eagles. In Fishtown! Heading towards Frankford! Bald Eagles!
The first bald eagle I ever saw was on the Alaskan coast. Now they live in Fishtown! Don’t believe me? Here’s an AP article from last Friday which talks about a nesting pair of bald eagles within Philadelphia city limits. Although nests have been established close to the city for years now, this is the first nesting pair inside of Philadelphia County in over 2 centuries.
Welcome to Philadelphia, eagles.
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