“Air Born” juvenile eagle by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images.
**Proceeds to support NCLC.
According to the National Eagle Center, juvenile bald eagles can appear larger than their parents can in the first year because of longer flight feathers that help the birds as they learn to fly. After the first molt, the wing feathers will be the same size as an adult eagle.
Juveniles have a brown body with brown and white mottled wings. The tail is also mottled with a dark band at the very tip, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
“The Eagle has Landed” juvenile eagle by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images.
**Proceeds to support NCLC.
Sometimes also called a sub-adult, a juvenile is typically an eagle in its first year that does not yet have full adult plumage.
Within a few years, juvenile eagles grow closer to the classic adult plumage. Most birds have the white head and tail feathers between their fourth and fifth year.
Bald eagles on Clatsop Beach.
“Eagle Speak” pair of American Bald Eagles eagle by Neal Maine/ PacificLight Images. A pair of eagles schooled a juvenile eagle who dared to arrive on the beach. The takeaway… “we told you to do your own fly way, and no, we will not send you money.”
**Proceeds to support NCLC.
Bald Eagles were common in North America at the time of European colonization and were considered sacred by the Native Americans. They remained common up through the 18th and early 19th centuries, but due to habitat destruction and direct persecution their population was considerably reduced by the start of the 20th century. The boom in chemical pesticide use, particular DDT, during the mid- 20th century lead to a rapid crash in the Bald Eagle population. DDT in the fish that the eagles were eating was making their eggshells thinner causing them to break during incubation. DDT was banned in the 1970s and the Bald Eagle was placed under the protection of the new Endangered Species Act. The population recovered quickly and today the Bald Eagle is abundant across North America.
Neal Maine recent eagle back story: The wildlife photographer grew up in Seaside, went to college and returned to Seaside as an educator. It was not until his 20th year of teaching that he saw and photographed an eagle at the coast.
Neal Maine lectured at 6:pm at Fairweather’s during the Seaside First Saturday Art Walk.
Read more about Neal Maine on the artist tab at http://www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com
**Q: What is NCLC, you ask?
A: North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) has been working since 1986 to conserve and connect the landscape of the Oregon Coast from the Columbia River to northern Lincoln County by acquiring or otherwise managing lands for their habitat value. With a portfolio of more than 50 fee-title properties in addition to more than a dozen conservation easements, NCLC has completed more fee acquisitions in Oregon than any other local land trust, ranking it alongside The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Lands for statewide conservation impact. The nationally accredited private, non-profit land trust works to ensure that this extraordinary region is a place where healthy communities of people, plants and wildlife can all thrive.
Jay Barber, Mayor of Seaside, prepares to select at random a winner from eggs containing the 14 names of patrons who purchased the “Last Polar Bear” book…
Nancy Holmes won the raffle for a signed ArcticLight image by Neal Maine during a drawing at Fairweather’s on March 7.
Nancy Holmes selected the polar bear portrait, signed by Neal Maine, and later shared the display in her home with the “Last Polar Bear” book shown on the mantle.
The raffle, a fundraiser for the Alaska Wilderness League, generated $420 in book sales at the gallery. The Alaska Wilderness League is a nonprofit organization that works to protect Alaska’s most significant wild lands from oil and gas drilling and from other industrial threats.
Read more about doing good works at Alaska Wilderness Leaguewww.alaskawild.org
Read more about ArcticLight images at: