Last week I took a three day vacation to Minnesota’s bluff country, the area along the Mississippi River that includes Red Wing, Lake City, Wabasha and Winona.

My vacation took me to the Red Wing Pottery Museum and the Lark Toy Museum. There was plenty of time for antique stores and sightseeing.

The biggest feature of all were bald eagles. I experienced them first at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. Then they were part of a narrated cruise in Winona. While our boat captain talked about the locks and the harbor, a naturalist from the Eagle Center helped us to spot some eagles.

We saw plenty of nests, a mated pair of eagles, mature eagles and young eagles. Some were in flight. Others were near the tops of tall trees.

The visit to the National Eagle Center was a good preparation for the cruise. I learned through an interpretive program featuring a live eagle, and from an enclosure featuring three more tame eagles that were rescued and kept to serve an educational purpose.

I also learned from an upstairs gallery which has a wide assortment of eagle memorabilia. It has everything from first-day cover postage souvenirs to baking products.

Added together the objects show how widely the eagle gets utilized as a national symbol. It’s everywhere. We see it every day, every time we use currency.

There are plenty of reasons for why the bald eagle, a bird of prey near the top of the food chain, is honored throughout America.

One is its appearance. Its white head and gold beak, which indicate maturity, give it a regal stature. When it flies, it seems to glide effortlessly through the sky often on the crest of the wind.

Eagle pairs build impressive nests, ones that are wide and deep. They’re constructed near the top of tall trees, high above most of the forest canopy and understory.

They’re gifted hunters. They have powerful talons capable of lifting their prey, even if it’s a fairly large fish being lifted out of water. They have keen eyesight, which enables them to spot prey from long distances.

They also have a large, strong backbone that allows them to rotate their heads almost 360 degrees, in contrast to humans who can only rotate heads sideways to the shoulders.

Another factor that gives mature bald eagles greatness is the challenges they endure early in life. Their first several years are a test of survival.

It often begins in the nest. The female bald eagle lays two or three eggs a year, which hatch a week apart. It gives a huge advantage to the first chick, especially at feeding time.

The parents don’t parcel out food. Instead they feed the beaks if they’re open. The widest beak gets fed the most. It means that smaller baby eagles might not get enough food.

The challenges continue after leaving the nest. They have to learn through trial and error how to find food, and how to avoid danger from predators.

Young eagles have a high mortality rate. Only a small portion make it to full maturity. Those that overcome all the challenges become symbols of strength.

The bald eagle has seen America through both good times and bad times. Its symbolism is well suited to both types of situations.

When times are good, the bald eagle symbolizes freedom and opportunity. In bad times it stands for perseverance, determination and strength of character.

We’re very fortunate to have the National Eagle Center in Minnesota. Hopefully it continues to be a favorite destination, especially for school groups. It’s good to bring the eagles out to educational events, to give students a chance to see a national symbol up close and to learn about how it gets through life.

Before going to the National Eagle Center, I had a basic general sense of why the bald eagle is important. Now I understand it on a deeper level. I have a stronger appreciation for its natural gifts, its historic role, and the need to provide it with favorable habitat.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent