Bald Eagles

With the number of bald eagles in the United States hitting the highest level since World War II, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would decide whether to remove them from the list of threatened and endangered species by June 29. There are 9,789 breeding pairs of bald eagles in the contiguous states, the agency said, up from a low of 417 breeding pairs in 1963 after the now-banned pesticide DDT damaged the birds' reproductive systems.

If you visit Sitka and Juneau, Alaska, this month, it's often easy to spot bald eagles, ravens and black and brown bears on your own. (I expected to have the same luck in June and got skunked, except for the raven I photographed in a Foodland parking lot.) Timing is everything with wildlife watching and opportunities increase when berries are ripe or fish are running or spawning. Here's a look at when and where to see bears, eagles and whales inexpensively in southeastern Alaska.

Federal irrigation officials in the drought-parched Klamath Basin worked out a deal Wednesday to buy a little more water for a wildlife refuge that is the winter home to hundreds of threatened bald eagles. Working through a court-ordered mediation process seeking long-range solutions to the basin's water crisis, the U.S.

Re "Avian radar units in the wind," May 28 In the rush to promote renewable energy, what else is flying under the radar? TheU.S. Department of the Interiorhas directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend permits allowing "non-purposeful takes" (read: bird kills) of golden and bald eagles for five years to 30 years. If this is enacted, it will give wind farms a 30-year window to continue "non-purposeful" killing of golden and bald eagles, condors and other migratory birds.

A bald eagle has been hatched at the San Diego Zoo for the first time in 32 years, zoo officials announced Friday. Hatched May 2 after a 32-day incubation, the eaglet is being raised at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in preparation for release this summer on Catalina Island. The young bird is being fed chicken and mouse innards with a makeshift hand puppet, to keep it from associating with humans and thereby increase its survival chances upon release, said zoo spokesman Jeff Jouett.

This is for Graham, would-be developer at Big Bear Lake, who was quoted in The Times as saying, "I like eagles . . . but I personally don't think I am responsible for the protection of the eagles". Mr. Graham, if not you, then who? If not now, when? PAUL R. COOLEY Culver City

One of 12 bald eagles being released on Santa Cruz Island this summer is getting acclimated to the new surroundings. A 6-week-old bald eagle from Alaska was taken to the island Sunday. It will live in a structure called a hack tower for a month to get used to its new digs. The bird is one of 12 that will be released this summer in an effort to reestablish the species on Santa Cruz and Anacapa islands. This is the second year in a five-year bird release project.

A pair of nesting American bald eagles have returned to the Stanislaus National Forest, finding a home near Beardsley Reservoir northwest of Yosemite National Park. The region is part of the eagles' historical nesting range, and the eagles aren't the first to be spotted in the forest. But this is the first known nesting pair in 40 years in the Stanislaus River watershed, said U.S. Forest Service ranger Karen Caldwell.

The bald eagle is soaring back from near extinction in California, but wildlife experts caution that the resurgence of the raptor on the West Coast may not last. The majestic bird was placed on California's endangered species list in 1970, clearing the way for state action to help the once-plentiful eagle survive in a difficult 20th-Century environment. At that time, there were only an estimated 25 breeding pairs in California.

Nothing seems to stop "Jungle" Jack Hanna. Facing down dangerous animals and persnickety late-night hosts, the congenial wildlife expert and dedicated conservationist in the trademark khaki suit has been TV fixture for the last 30 years. Now, despite having just undergone a double knee replacement, Hanna is doing a national theater tour that comes to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach on Saturday. "As long as I don't have to run around too much after any animals I will be fine," he laughed by phone from his home in Montana, where he is recuperating.

Reporting from Santa Barbara -- It started with the toucans. Nobody knew why the birds were making such a terrible racket but soon it became clear. A bald eagle had winged its way into the Santa Barbara Zoo and started evidencing great interest in some of the zoo's smaller, perhaps more delectable, inhabitants. He swooped low over the flamingos and perched on a rooftop just above the achingly cute meerkats, waiting. He showed no fear of humans. "At first we were thrilled to see it," said Sheri Horiszny, the zoo's director of animal programs.

Maybe you're not traveling to the Cradle of Democracy this Independence Day . (And, by the way, no one agrees on where that is. Some say it's Philadelphia, others Massachusetts, others Jamestown, Va., and let us not forget Greece.) Wherever it is and wherever you are, it's a good idea to stop and remember the vast geography of our country, the genius of its founders and all the people and symbols that go with it. Here’s a quick quiz to help you contemplate all of the above. Why, you may ask, do you need to know any of this stuff?

IRELAND Erin go bragh Travelers can celebrate St. Patrick's Day by booking Ashford Castle's package, which includes a visit to the nearby 1,500-year-old St. Patrick's Cathedral and a family's home for a traditional dinner. Other highlights are a boat trip to Inchagoill Island, a soda-bread baking class, a Guinness-pouring class and a piper-led walk to dinner at Cullen's at the Cottage, where locals will be reveling. The castle, built in 1228 on the River Cong, is in County Mayo.

Maybe the guy just wants some company. That's the speculation about a wild bald eagle that's taken up residence right outside the Orange County Zoo's bald eagle exhibit. The bird of prey first appeared last weekend and has spent every morning and evening since then perched in a tree above the zoo's 6-year-old female bald eagle, Olivia. The two have been squawking back and forth all week, said Donald Zeigler, manager of the small zoo in Irvine Regional Park. Bald eagles are spotted from time to time in the rolling foothills, oaks and sycamores surrounding the zoo, but never before has one taken such an interest in a zoo resident.

A growing population of American bald eagles in Channel Islands National Park might eventually start feasting on rare seabirds and endangered island foxes, researchers reported Monday. The warning was based on an extensive analysis of the shifting diets of the opportunistic foragers from the Pleistocene era, about 20,000 years ago, to the late 1960s, when they were decimated by widespread use of DDT. It was reported in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

LA Live hotels at the ready The 878-room JW Marriott and 123-room Ritz-Carlton hotels, to open Feb. 15 and March 15, respectively, at downtown's LA Live complex, have begun accepting reservations. The hotels share space in a 54-story tower at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street adjacent to Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, 244 condos priced at $1.3 million to $6 million, will occupy the top floors. The JW Marriott's L.A. Market restaurant, Glance lobby bar and lounge, the Mixing Room cocktail bar, Illy coffee bar and Ion rooftop bar and lounge will be in operation by the opening.

On Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation, Winslow Friday is preparing to surrender in his long fight with the federal government. The seeds of the conflict were planted four years ago when Friday shot a bald eagle out of a tree. His cousin needed a tail fan for an upcoming Sun Dance, the Northern Arapaho tribe's most important religious ceremony, and Friday wanted to help. So when Friday spotted the bird, he seized his chance. Charged with killing a bald eagle in violation of federal law, Friday had argued that the law hinders the practice of his religion -- a battle closely watched on the reservation.