Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles Essays - Eagles, Bald Eagle

Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles Eagle is the common name for a number of diurnal birds of prey, some of which are the largest members of their family which also includes kites, hawks, buzzards, and certain vultures. The name eagle is somewhat loosely applied, as several of the groups are not particularly closely related to one another, and some birds called hawks are larger than some called eagles. The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) and the Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos) are two eagles that have several of the same characteristics and have several different ones as well. The Bald Eagle is the only eagle species living strictly in North America, and has a presence in every state in the US except Hawaii. Young (immature) Bald Eagles are light gray when hatched, and turn dark brown before leaving the nest at about 12 weeks of age. During their third and fourth years, Bald Eagles have a mottled brown and white color under their wings and on their head, tail and breast. The distinctive white head and tail feathers do not appear until they are 4 to 5 years old. Bald Eagles range from about 29-42 inches long, and can weigh between 7-16 pounds, and have a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet. This makes them one of the largest birds in North America. Bald Eagles residing in the northern US are larger than those that reside in the south. They have a life span of up to 30-40 years in the wild and longer in captivity. Bald Eagles are monogamous and remain faithful to their mate until death. Females lay one to three eggs annually, and the incubation period is approxim! ately 35 days. Only about 50% of Eagles hatched survive the first year. Strong endangered species and environmental protection laws, as well as active private, state and federal conservation efforts have brought back the USA's Bald Eagle population from the edge of extinction. There are now about 4500 nesting pairs and 20,000 total birds in the lower 48 states, and there are over 35,000 Bald Eagles in Alaska. America's Bald Eagles are back in strong numbers today, but they are still a "threatened" species in the lower 48 states. Breeding season last from November to April. Bald eagles mate for life and use the same nest each year. They build a huge nest (aerie) of sticks and twigs in a tree, or on rocky cliffs and average in size of 2 feet deep and 5 feet across. The nest takes weeks to construct and is increased yearly. Eventually some nests reach sizes of more than 10 feet wide and can weigh several tons. Bald Eagles feed primarily on fish, but also eat small animals (ducks,! coots, muskrats, turtles, rabbits, snakes, etc.) and occasional carrion (dead animals). Eagles swoop down to seize fish in their talons and carry it off, but can only lift about half of their weight. Bald Eagles can even swim to shore with a heavy fish using their strong wings as paddles. However, it is also possible that they can drown if the fish weighs too much. The Golden Eagle is a large brown and golden colored eagle that can be found in a variety of habitats in the western North America region including mountainous areas, canyons, shrub-land and grasslands. The Golden Eagle can also be found in Europe, Asia and northern Africa. The breeding range in North America includes north central Mexico, the western United States as far east as the Dakotas, Kansas and Texas, also Alaska, and across northern Canada. This bird of prey can weigh up to 15 pounds and can have a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet and a length of 30-40 inches. Females are often more noticeably larger than males as is true with most birds of prey. Young (immature) Eagles have a patch of white on the tail, and the adult tail is gray and brown. The Golden Eagle also builds large their nest out of sticks and twigs in a tree or on a cliff. The female lays 1-4 eggs (usually 2) and often does most of the incubation. The males provide most of the food while the females feed and tend! the

Reagan Remembered Interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reagan Remembered Interview - Research Paper Example America had its longest peacetime economic expansion under Reagan and the tax benefits actually had a trickle effect that the people felt. There were job increases and unemployment was down. Even with a brief recession in 1982, the country still managed to come out on top economically speaking. It is really sad that Ronald Reagan knew of the importance of privatizing the Social Security program of the country but he never had a chance to do so. He actually liked the idea of allowing the members to choose how and where their money would be invested. He was a president who knew that social security, even though he was against it due to its Ponzi scheme like nature, could benefit the poorest of the poor. That is why he wanted to allow those who could prove that they did not need the retirement benefits of social security to get a refund and opt out of the program. For all of the good that Reagan did for our country though, his presidency seems to be best remembered for the Iran Contra scandal wherein our high ranking government officials illegally sold firearms to Iran which, at the time, was the subject of an arms embargo. Regardless of the embargo though, it is easy to understand why he did it. There were seven American lives at stake. These were American citizens being held hostage in Iran by a terrorist group with ties to the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. What started out as a deal based on you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours ended up as an arms for hostages scheme instead that had individual executive branch representatives selling the weapons in exchange for American lives. He may not have done right by going around the arms embargo but, and this is the most important part, he brought those Americans being held hostage home. Each one of them alive and kicking. Nobody will ever forget the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagans life because a mad man tried to

Traumatic or emotional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Traumatic or emotional - Essay Example She asked where his father was and her mother answered that he has not gone down yet. Joan asked him what was wrong with him but he did not answer. Her mother went by the side of her father and helped bring him to the sofa to let him lie down. At this point, Joan became frantic and suggested that they call 911, her mother agreed. Meanwhile, Joan felt so nervous seeing her dad trying to catch his breath. She also noticed cold sweats on his forehead. Her mom loosened the shirt of his dad and added pillows under his head. Both Joan and her mom were at a loss on what to do. Suddenly, Joan noticed that her dad lost consciousness. It was at this point that Joan started wailing really hard while her mom was sobbing. Joan tried to give artificial respiration, though she really does not know how. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang and it was the paramedics. The paramedics said that her dad was suffering from a heart attack and that he needed to be brought to the hospital as soon as possible. They also said that both Joan and her mom can ride with them in the ambulance but that they should stay calm. They slowly lifted up Joan’s dad to the stretcher and placed him inside the ambulance. Joan rode in the ambulance with her mom. She watched intently as the paramedics were trying to revive his dad. Joan was filled with fear because she can see that the paramedics’ efforts seem futile. Her dad was still unconscious. She was worried for her dad and at the same time she wanted to be strong for her mom. She struggled to regain her composure and hugged her mom tightly to comfort her. She began to pray silently asking God’s intervention. She never prayed so hard in her life. She asked God to take care of her dad. She prayed that it is nothing serious. She also prayed for strength for her and her mom. When they reached the hospital, Joan’s dad was rushed to the