Bald Eagle Soars Above Point Molate

Photograph by Jeff Peterson

Bald eagles at Point Molate!! Our national bird, the bald eagle, only eagle unique to North America, is flying above Point Molate!

The bald eagle is the symbol of leadership and power and strength among many Native American tribes and is the symbol adopted for the United States of America and placed on our Great Seal, back in 1782.

Eagle feathers are symbols of honor and respect in Native American tribes and Natives, such as the Chinook, in the Pacific Northwest, who revere the bald eagle, have used these feathers to award warriors who were brave in battle, to honor those who have come to prominence in the community, and to heal the sick and injured.

The bald eagle was almost lost to extinction by the 1970’s and was among the first species to be put on the endangered species list in 1973 during the Richard Nixon presidency. Due to extraordinary efforts to protect and repopulate, the bald eagle rebounded enough to be removed from the endangered list in 2007.

But bald eagles are still protected under both the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and it is a federal crime to even own bald eagle feathers unless you are a member of certain Native American Tribes.

Bald eagles are known as incredibly high flyers, leading them to be sometimes called king of the skies, and the photographer who took this photo, Jeff Peterson, counts himself lucky to have captured the sight. He was out near the beach at Point Molate on April 28, 2022 and saw this one high in the sky and at first thought it might be an unusually high flying osprey until he focused in on the bird. “I caught a glimpse of this magnificent bird and was elated to see it soar above Point Molate. This is an iconic bird, a national treasure.”

Peterson and his friend and fellow photographer Jack Scheinman have both been trying to capture the extraordinary wildlife at Point Molate and had heard about the presence of the bald eagles in the area and were on the lookout. Jeff says he was lucky to capture it in a photo.

Jack has photographed eagles in other locations. He did manage to get a photo of an eagle recently when he was out on a shoot at Point Molate with his wife and two friends. But, when they spotted the bald eagle, again high above Point Molate, it was too far away for a clean photo. Both photographers encourage the public to come out to Point Molate to see all the magnificent wildlife.