Birds of Prey has a new bird of prey
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Lexi Hanus
It wasn’t lost on anyone who attended the races in Beaver Creek over the weekend that the event has a new mascot — a bald eagle who replaced the iconic golden eagle, posthumously named Blondie, who died over the summer after serving the Birds of Prey since its inception.
Anne Price, the president and curator of raptors at the Raptor Education Foundation, worked with Blondie for more than 34 years. The bird was nearly 40 years old at the time of its death. She shared that Blondie exceeded the average lifespan of a wild golden eagle significantly, as they live about 20 to 25 years on average in the wild.
Price is also the new bird’s handler and shared a bit more of the story and the significance of these birds. She spoke with Ski Racing Media in the finish area while holding the new bird: “We lost our golden eagle, Blondie, last year. Golden eagles are found all over the world, so countries like Norway, Austria, Switzerland and Germany have golden eagles. It was a great way to have the BOP welcome the world. This is a bald eagle, of course, our national symbol. It is wonderful to have a bald eagle here in the United States in Beaver Creek.”
Why was this particular bald eagle selected to follow in Blondie’s footsteps? “She’s the only one that could handle the crowds and the excitement and chaos here. We’ve had her for five years and she kind of grew up with people. She is doing so, so well.”
The bald eagle has not had her name announced to the world. This is intentional, Price explained: “We’ve been around for 42 years and see tons of children every year. Little kids often think that if a bird has a name, like a dog or a cat or a goldfish, it’s a pet. They don’t understand the difference between a pet that they take care of and a wild animal with an important ecological role to fill.”
Especially with children, it’s more educational to refer to the birds as their species, rather than a name. “It’s a good science lesson … so we do not share the names.”
The Bald Eagle was available for pictures below the Birds of Prey finish area. Even though she was swarmed by fans, she seemed to remain calm, only flapping her wings (with an impressive wing span) on occasion. She was also featured at awards, taking pictures with the fastest racers of the day.
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