They are a creature of grace and inspiration. We have growing population here on the James river.

I know we have them around here but I've never seen one. That must have been a thrill.

We have them on the river here because they can fish in the shallow water. Until a few year back they nested on a lake about 30 miles away.

I remember vividly when I saw my first bald eagle, too. They are such spectacular looking birds.

I've watched ospreys and eagles sparring in midair. That sight (and sound) is enough to give you chills up and down your back.

Everyone should experience seeing them, at least once. They are so magnificent. They don't nest around here, but we get the privilege of seeing them twice a year when they migrate through.

We see them frequently in Northern Wisconsin. I saw a nest the other day when we went to the ice caves on Lake Superior. What is really cool for me is when I see them on the side of the road eating carrion. There is a stretch on my way to work where I see them feasting frequently in the winter. That's when you can tell how immense they are.

Sleeper, that's how I saw my first one! It takes quite an effort for such a big bird to become airborne from the highway.

Oh how wonderful for you!! The first one we saw in flight was at Guntersville State Park in Al. & he or she caught a fish was amazing!! The last time we were up there we saw a female sitting on a nest-we were so thrilled! Love eagles!!

They live where I do but I do remember that the neatest time that I saw them was one Mothers Day. We were out on the trails running along the river on our Sunday run and stopped at our turn around spot. We looked across the river and perched on a tree was a bald eagle. Suddenly it took flight and just swooped down the river looking for fish. I wish we had a camera.

One time we were in Iowa..I think...at a soccer tournament and we were able to watch several eagles throughout the tournament. I think some of us parents watched the eagles more than we did our kids.

It is a tremendous thrill to see one for the first time. I agree that everyone should be able to see one at least once in their life. I've seen them in quite a few states while on vacation. This is one I saw when I was in Alaska. We stayed a couple of nights in Juneau and they are so numerous in that town that they look like pigeons. They were sitting everywhere, even the streetlights!!

I used to live in a sub-division outside of Prince George BC, along the Nichacko (forgot how it's spelled....) river. There was a HUGE nest not far from where all the kids in the area could swim in the river. The safe part of the river, as it was a 'back wash' with no current. The bald eagles flew over us quite often and we would all stand still on shore and in the water and watch as they hovered over head then nose dived into the river and came up with a fish! That is one memory of living there I'll never forget.

We've seen them in Alaska too murrasymom. When they perch in trees, they are not difficult to spot because of their white heads. The pairs return to the same nest every year, building it up as needed. Nests can weigh thousands of pounds. Thanks for the pictures everyone.

The eagles are making a big come back along the southern shore of Lake Erie here in Ohio. We see them quite often. When we went to MI last weekend for a funeral, we counted 6, and 4 nests. The week before on a ride, we saw 2 pair. They are such majestic birds! When we took Amtrak to CA and back in 2007, there were dozens on logs in the Mississippi River when we crossed it. So many you couldn't count them. Just Amazing!

Wisconsin has a bald eagle population that has been doing much better since the ban of DDT and certain pesticides. There is a population along the Mississippi river on the border with Minnesota. A winter time population is found on the Wisconsin river near Sauk City. There is a dam in the river at that location that causes open water below the dam even in the coldest part of winter. That is why the eagles concentrate there during winter - its open water with fish.

The first time I can recall seeing a Bald Eagle in the wild was on a motorcycle ride, which turned out to be my last one in IL. It was a crisp November day and I was riding a nice curvy road paralleling the Rock River heading north. I had just navigated a tight curve when a large shadow passed me. I looked up into the sun and thought I saw the white tail feathers. I thought....nah, couldn't be....and then it turned its head towards me and there was that magnificent head. It soared over the river looking for fish, following my route for a little while. It was just the bird and me along the river.

Down here, we have Reelfoot Lake in NW TN, which is a popular place for Bald Eagles to nest so I've seen quite a few more. But the day one was flying over the 5 acre pond in front of my house was memorable. I missed it flying but caught the crows chasing it. The Eagle had just caught a fish and the crows were trying to get it away from the Eagle. It had the fish in its talons, lifted up off the ground and flew a short distance to eat. I watched it dine while the crows pestered it.

A few years ago, I was kayaking on the Potomac River, close enough to the city that the Washington Monument was just visible in the distance, and a Bald Eagle swooped down over the river, grabbed a fish out of the water, and started trying to regain altitude to enjoy his catch. However the fish must have been too heavy, since after about 5 minutes of circling and flapping and only gaining about 30 feet in elevation, the eagle dropped the fish and flew up to a bare branch atop a tree along the river back.

Another time in Florida, in Myakka River State Park, on a bird observation platform, a local birder was identifying the various birds for us, and was excitedly pointing out that one of them was an Eurasian Tern which is really rare in Florida, when a Bald Eagle flew by about fifteen feet over the water. We were really excited, but the birder's response was "Oh we see those here all the time, you should be more excited by the Eurasian Tern."

Bob--did you hear that supposedly the nest of eagle eggs at the Nat'l Arboretum has hatched? Very exciting!

The first one I saw in the wild was in Canada, on our way up to Lake Luise. There were quite a few nests on the telephone poles. At one point in the very long drive, I looked out the window at the beautiful scenery and saw an eagle flying fairly evenly with our car. It was spectacular and I'll never forget that sight.

We have a family out on our farm and my sister-in-law gets some great photos. In this one he is working on his nest.

I remembered another bald eagle image, from a boat trip around some islands in Maine.