Weathered Branch - Bald Eagle

The bald eagle has been returning to many of the areas where it formerly flourished. Persistent pesticides contaminated its food chain and destroyed its breeding success. Now that we have phased out some of these poisons, the eagle has a chance to flourish once more, but it must be reintroduced with a great deal of care and expertise. This needs public support, not only for financing, but for political action.

It would be a wonderful thing to see this symbol of America flying free and breeding successfully in all of his old haunts. It is certainly possible, but it will not happen without wide-spread effort on behalf of the majority of citizens.

Although the bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States, Canada has the same problems and potential for eagle population growth. Bald eagles do not necessarily need wilderness, but they need big trees for nest sites and a certain amount of privacy. However, I have shown this bird in a wild area where you are more likely to see one.

Since this species has been painted so many times by so many people, I chose a more challenging back view. The action of the eagle is employed by the thrusting rhythm of the dead branches.