Eagle sightings on the rise as 11th expo nears

This past week, I utilized a couple days when it wasn’t raining to clean my shed following a large construction project we wrapped up at our house. With a truck full of construction debris, it was off to the Berwick landfill to dispose of the trash. But, just before I left I scrambled into the house and grabbed my camera.
Besides getting rid of my junk, I thought I’d take the opportunity to do a little nature viewing in the form of bald eagle picture-taking. What’s more, I wasn’t disappointed. There were no less than a dozen of these majestic birds, young and old, scavenging.
In viewing them, one thing you’ll notice is they pretty much let the laughing gulls and turkey vultures do all of the work. The white-headed raptors will perch on a bulldozed mound of dirt or some other elevated height above the fray, as these other scavengers tear apart garbage bags looking for any morsel of consumable scraps they can find.
It’s a pitiful sight watching the symbol of our country lowering itself to such standards. But the truth is, everything is about energy when it comes to nature. Why waste energy when you can get another bird to do your work for you? Once the scrap is found, all the eagles have to do is swoop down and steal it from the less fortunate. Yes, the majestic bald eagle can be a real bullying thief, too.
Unfortunately, as the local population of bald eagles continues to grow, many of these dump-busting parents teach the next generation of eagles the trade. I posted several bald eagle pictures I took on Facebook last week and got quite a few “likes” and several comments.
One comment was from an award-winning photographer who happened to win two Excellence in Craft awards last year in two different organizations that I also am a member of. The pictures were of a bald eagle perched in a tree in Alaska.
On my Facebook page, she inquired as to where I was at to get such a great picture. The conversation went,
“John, great pictures, where’d you take them?”
I so badly wanted to reply that I was at some remote region of North America on an incredible nature adventure. But, alas, I was truthful.
I said, “At the dump, at the dump, at the dump-dump-dump.”
To which she replied, “Ha-ha-ha! Know your subject.”
Indeed, I do know my subject. I knew these eagles would be there. They are every winter and spring and have been for at least a decade. In fact, it may even be considerably longer, as my recollection isn’t what it used to be.
In truth, we live in the coastal epicenter of the southern bald eagle. Daily sightings have and continue to be more and more commonplace in St. Mary Parish. They are thriving in numbers and have adapted to the point where they are comfortable around our local industry. And because of their numbers, we annually celebrate them here.
Also in truth, though bald eagles “are” scavengers, not all of our local population is the garbage birds I’ve described. The vast majority of eagles live in our breathtaking cypress tupelo swamps and marshes beyond the levees. They prey on fish and have no problem consuming a bit of carrion washed up on the bank every now and then.
In just three weeks, Feb. 25 through Feb. 27, The Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau will be hosting their 11th annual Eagle Expo. This year’s edition will be similar to years past and will include workshops, seminars, photography sessions and boat tours to see bald eagles — not at the landfill, but in their natural habitat.
The expo continues to grow with some 100 to 120 visitors coming annually, according to Cajun Coast staffers. In years past, out-of-state attendees have come from Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska and even outside the United States from Canada.
The economic impact of the Eagle Expo also continues to cultivate each year as word of this event spreads. At roughly $90,000 annually, it may not seem like much for the three-day affair. But in the future, you can bet the Expo will one day exceed six digits. It’s the nature of these things.
Speaking of nature, there are much prettier and better-smelling locations to take pictures of bald eagles. No need to go to the dump, unless you have some trash to haul and while there just want to snap a selfie of you and Mr. Eagle.
Instead, simply go to the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau’s website at www.cajuncoast.com and sign up for one of the many tours available during this year’s event. What’s more, make sure you post the event to your social media pages and let’s try to reach and get 150 to 200 attendees at this year’s Eagle Expo.
If you wish to make a comment or have an anecdote, recipe or story you wish to share, you can reach John K. Flores by calling 985-395-5586 or by email at gowiththeflo@cox.net or go to his Facebook page Go with the Flo Outdoors.