A symbol of patriotism: bald eagles in the mountain state

BROOKS, WV (WVNS) — Near the 4th of July holiday, people are sure to see plenty of symbols of America’s patriotism all around – the waving of red, white, and blue flags, the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, and, of course, images of bald eagles.

Did you know that the bald eagle has not always been present here in the mountain state though? Executive Director of Three Rivers Avian Center, Wendy Perrone, said that the first nesting pair of bald eagles did not appear in the mountain state for quite some time.

“We got our first nesting pair of bald eagles in 1981 over by Moorefield,” said Perrone. “[Bald eagles] came in on their own and they’ve been gradually expanding through the state. So, now we have over 200 active nests in the state of West Virginia.”

Perrone said that bald eagles are part of the sea eagle family and that they are unique because they are the only member of this family to have a white head and a white tail. She also stated bald eagles are only native to North America, making them a unique symbol of the country.

Perrone said sea eagles like to feed on large fish and waterfowl so, prior to large dams being built in the mountain state, bald eagles did not have ample access to their usual diets and habitats.

“[It wasn’t] good habitat for large fish and waterfowl until we started building dams in the 1940s and 50s,” said Peronne. “When we started doing that, then we got the habitat for large fish and waterfowl, but at the same time we started using DDT and, of course, that poisoned the population and that led to the establishment of the Endangered Species Act which gave us the tools to be able to start to help with restoration projects.”

Perrone also emphasized that birds, like eagles, that feed on fish face issues with lead poisoning due to waters being polluted with lead sinkers and lures.

While Three Rivers Avian Center’s resident bald eagle, Regis, did not come in as a direct result of lead poisoning, he is there for the remainder of his life, according to Perrone.

Regis suffered a broken wing in the wild which healed incorrectly. According to Perrone, there is no safe way to reset Regis’s wing. It is not all bad news for Regis, though!

Regis now serves as one of the center’s ambassadors ! This means that Regis travels all around helping to teach people about birds like himself so that people can help with conservation efforts.

“Regis is famous just just about everywhere we’re going now,” Perrone stated. “Everybody asks, ‘are you bringing Regis? Are you bringing Regis?’ They used ask if we’re bringing the bald eagle. Now, they know his name.”

Regis even acts as the mascot for the National Eagle Scout Association and has since 2013.

If you would like to learn more about Regis or any of the center’s birds, you can attend one of the events on the Three Rivers Avian Center’s event calendar and you can learn about sponsoring an ambassador like Regis here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.