Cold Feet -- Bald Eagle on an Iceberg in Disenchantment Bay, Alaska
by Darin Volpe
Title
Cold Feet -- Bald Eagle on an Iceberg in Disenchantment Bay, Alaska
Artist
Darin Volpe
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A Bald Eagle rests on a small iceberg from the Hubbard Glacier in Disenchantment Bay.
Hubbard Glacier is located in eastern Alaska, United States, and part of the Yukon Territory, Canada. It's terminus is located in Alaska where Wrangell St. Elias National Park meets Disenchantment Bay. The ice at the terminus (and in this floating mass of ice) is estimated at 450 years old.
The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782. The largest North American breeding populations are in Alaska and Canada, but there are also significant populations in the Great Lakes states, Florida, the Pacific Northwest, the Yellowstone area, and the Chesapeake Bay region. The name "bald eagle" comes from the old usage of the word "bald," meaning "white headed." Both male and female adults have the same plumage and are visually indistinguishable. Immature birds have mostly dark heads and tails, the remainder of the feathers are mottled brown and white. It takes about five years for eagles to attain the distinctive black and white appearance. Bald eagles live near lakes, rivers, marshes, and the coasts. Their diet consists mainly of fish, but they also eat waterfowl, shorebirds, small mammals, turtles, and carrion. Bald Eagles average lifespan in the wild is about 20 years. The oldest wild bald eagle on record died in 2015 at the age of 38.
The bald eagle is a sacred bird in some Native American cultures, and its feathers are central to many religious and spiritual customs. A few examples are: The Navajo Tradition, where an eagle feather is represented to be a protector; The Pawnee who considered the eagle to be a symbol of fertility; the Choctaw where the bald eagle is a symbol of peace. Current eagle feather law allows only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry who belong to a federally recognized tribe to poses or obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use.
Uploaded
January 8th, 2017
Embed
Share
