GUEST ARTICLE: June 23, 2015
CONTACT: Susan Strawbridge, (352) 628-5445, Ext. 1002
BALD EAGLES HIGHLIGHTED AT WILDLIFE PARK IN JULY
-- with special program and displays -Guest article by
Susan Strawbridge, Park Services Specialist
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park will be focusing on the threatened
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) during the month of July. The Park is now home
to four Bald eagles that could not otherwise survive in the wild due to injuries or
imprinting. Three of the eagles are on display and another is used in outreach
programs. The Park received its first two Bald eagles, Abby and Jake, in 1989 from the
Birds of Prey Center in Maitland, Florida. Both had suffered injuries that would prevent
them from being released. Educational exhibits about the Bald eagle will be on display
in the Park’s Visitor Center and Discovery Center during the month of July.
Park Services Specialist, Andrea Junkunc, will be presenting a special program on the
Bald eagle on Thursday, July 23, 2015, starting at 1:00 pm in the Florida Room at the
Park’s main entrance and Visitor Center on US 19. In Andrea Junkunc’s program
entitled “Making the Connection: An outlook on Bald eagles and the use of
ambassador animals in conservation.” She will talk about the history of the
Bald eagle and, how although once endangered, it has recovered and has
been reclassified as threatened. She will explain what you can do to help
conserve the magnificent Bald eagles and our other native wildlife. Junkunc
will tell the story of Liberty, one of the Park’s Bald eagles. There will be no
charge to attend this program.
Andrea Junkunc was born and raised in McHenry, Illinois. Throughout her childhood
she was an active member of many avian organization along with her mother. A love of
nature led Andrea to her first job, at a small reptile zoo near Wisconsin. Wanting more
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experience with wildlife, she moved to Florida in 2001, where she pursued further
education in the areas of animal care and psychology with an emphasis in animal
behavior and training. In 2002 she enrolled in a hands-on animal husbandry course. In
2003, Andrea was hired at Silver Springs Attraction. Her career there started with caring
for and doing programs with alligators, snakes and many species of parrots. Eight
months later she had an opportunity to make a department move to the free-flighted
birds of prey show. She was thrilled to be working with exotic and native eagles, falcons
and hawks. Along with many species of owls and Andrea’s personal favorite, the
vultures. She went on to become leader of that department and then supervisor of all
ambassador animals and show development.
Currently, Andrea Junkunc is a Park Services Specialist at Ellie Schiller Homosassa
Springs Wildlife State Park in the Wildlife Care Department where in addition to her park
ranger duties she hold the interpretive chair position at the park. She works closely with
all park’s animals, coordinates training plans, and animal enrichment programs.
The Bald eagle, with its snowy-feathered (not bald) head and white tail, is now the
proud national symbol of the United States. And yet this wasn’t always the case. In the
1700s Bald eagle numbers in the United States were estimated to be between 300,000
to 500,000. Over the course of decades this majestic bird was nearly wiped out by sport
hunting and for “protection” of fishing grounds. Resulting in numbers as low as 500
nesting pairs remaining in the lower 48 states.
In the 1940s and 1950s, pesticides like DDT also wreaked havoc on eagles and other
birds. These chemicals collected in fish, which make up most of the eagle’s diet. The
chemicals weakened the bird’s eggshells and limited their ability to reproduce. Thanks
to the work of conservationist Rachel Carson, the legislature was convinced to ban the
use of DDT and other harmful chemicals in 1972. In 1976 the Bald eagle was placed on
the Federal Endangered Species List. Eagle numbers have since rebounded
significantly and current populations are estimated at about 70,000. As a result of these
restrictions, along with reintroduction programs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
upgraded the birds from endangered to threatened status.
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On June 20, 1782, the Bald eagle was declared the national symbol of the United
States of America because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and
because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. Maude M. Grant explained
the choice of the Bald eagle for the national symbol as follows: “It is said the eagle was
used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which
occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on
the heights and they flew from their nest and circled about over the heads of the fighting
men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. ‘They are shrieking for freedom,’
said the patriots.
Thus the Bald eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys,
strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that
offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into
the boundless space of the future.” Benjamin Franklin, however, did not agree with the
choice, preferring the turkey who he claimed was “a much more respectable bird.”
The Bald eagle prefers to live and nest near bodies of water to provide sufficient food
for their growing chicks. The birds mate for life and return to the same spot every year,
building enormous nests of interwoven sticks. While the Bald eagle’s diet consists
primarily of fish, carrion, smaller birds and rodents, they are occasionally known to prey
on larger birds and fish.
The Bald eagle is the only eagle unique to North America. Its distinctive brown body and
white head and tail make it easy to identify. The eagle rarely flaps its wings when
soaring with wings extended and almost flat. The hooked bill, legs and feet are yellow.
Their call is a high-pitched squeaking sound. Immature bald eagles are dark without the
distinctive white markings until they are about five years old.
In other news at the Wildlife Park, the second session of Wildlife Ranger Camp will be
arriving for July’s Wildlife Ranger Camp the week of July 13 through 17. This group of
10 through 12 year olds will be learning about Florida’s wildlife and enjoying hands-on
activities and learning experiences. Camp topics include mammals, birds, reptiles,
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manatees, the ocean, sea turtles, and saving energy through alternative sources. Indoor
and outdoor activities for children include nature hunts, visiting the wildlife areas in the
park and other scientific activities.
As you can see, we have a lot planned for July, and we encourage you to visit Ellie
Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park to learn about the Bald eagle and the
importance of preserving Florida’s wildlife. For more information on our events, please
call Susan Strawbridge at (352) 628-5445, ext. 1002.
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