One sunny Sunday in late May, I was relaxing on my deck with a cold beer and a cigar, savoring the beautiful Susitna Valley weather. Suddenly, I heard a motorcycle pull up on the road in front of my house followed by someone calling out and crashing into the bushes. Intrigued, I went to investigate. It turned out the motorcyclist had spotted a bald eagle with a broken wing in the brush by the roadside. It seemed the eagle had swooped down to catch some prey and accidentally hit a power line.
A neighbor offered to help, bringing a large dip net and a wire kennel. With their assistance, we managed to calm the bird, gently place it in the net, and then transfer it to the kennel, positioning it on its back to keep it relaxed. Meanwhile, other neighbors made arrangements to transport the eagle to a rehabilitation center in Houston.
The majestic bird was soon on its way. Before leaving, the motorcyclist and I each gave the eagle a comforting pat on the head, reassuring it that everything would be alright. It felt like a meaningful act, considering the significance of the bald eagle as our national emblem. Although we never received confirmation of the eagle’s fate, birds with such injuries rarely regain the ability to fly due to the delicate nature of wing bones. However, the neighbor transporting the bird was informed that it might become an educational ambassador for schools in Mat-Su.
Now, perhaps as a Christmas present to the country, we see that a bill has been passed by Congress and signed on Christmas Eve by President Biden officially acknowledging the Bald Eagle as our national bird.
President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United States Code to correct what had long gone unnoticed and designate the bald eagle — familiar to many because of its white head, yellow beak and brown body — as the national bird.
The bald eagle has appeared on the Great Seal of the United States, which is used in official documents, since 1782, when the design was finalized. The seal is made up of the eagle, an olive branch, arrows, a flag-like shield, the motto “E Pluribus Unum” and a constellation of stars.
The eagle is a fine national symbol; an eagle was the symbol of the Roman Republic as well, so there’s a long precedent. But somehow, while the eagle has been our national symbol since 1782 when it appeared on the Great Seal, it was never designated as the national bird. There’s a difference.
But it had never been officially designated to be what many had just assumed it was — the national bird.
I think we already pretty much took that for granted, but at least now it’s official. Sure, Congress has a lot of more consequential things they could be up to, but this seems like an appropriate thing for the outgoing lame duck (with, we hasten to add, a Democrat-controlled Senate) Congress to be doing. Why not?
During the design of the national seal, by the way, the reports of certain of the Founding Fathers to favor the wild turkey over the eagle have been greatly exaggerated. And honestly, a superpower with a turkey as a national symbol? That’s not exactly intimidating for the bad guys out there – and there will always be bad guys out there. They will surely fear the eagle’s talons over the turkey’s wattles.
