Meet the bird woman of Alaska
Thursday, February 14, 2008
It is one of rarest but most majestic sights in the Arctic a bald eagle soaring high above snow-capped mountains in a clear blue sky.
But there is one place where these awesome creatures are ten-a-penny. Jean Keene has been feeding as many as 400 fish-starved eagles every winter for the past three decades.
Each day, the birds descend en masse to feast on her scraps as shown in this amazing display.
The 84-year-old's efforts have been the salvation of many a frozen bird, helping the species America's national symbol battle back from near extinction.
And she has done such a good job she is now the only person in America allowed to feed them.
Mrs Keene began feeding the birds leftover fish 30 years ago after she noticed they struggled to catch prey in the minus 20ºC Arctic winters.
At first, just a couple of the birds came to eat but now hundreds flock to the spot in Homer, Alaska often squabbling over the freebies.
She knows the birds intimately and has even given some names but that hasn't stopped her getting a few whacks and pecks for her troubles.
She said: 'I'm not afraid of the eagles and they're not afraid of me. As long as I can still stand up and get about, I'll carry on feeding them as long as I can.'
Thursday, February 14, 2008
It is one of rarest but most majestic sights in the Arctic a bald eagle soaring high above snow-capped mountains in a clear blue sky.
But there is one place where these awesome creatures are ten-a-penny. Jean Keene has been feeding as many as 400 fish-starved eagles every winter for the past three decades.
Each day, the birds descend en masse to feast on her scraps as shown in this amazing display.
The 84-year-old's efforts have been the salvation of many a frozen bird, helping the species America's national symbol battle back from near extinction.
And she has done such a good job she is now the only person in America allowed to feed them.
Mrs Keene began feeding the birds leftover fish 30 years ago after she noticed they struggled to catch prey in the minus 20ºC Arctic winters.
At first, just a couple of the birds came to eat but now hundreds flock to the spot in Homer, Alaska often squabbling over the freebies.
She knows the birds intimately and has even given some names but that hasn't stopped her getting a few whacks and pecks for her troubles.
She said: 'I'm not afraid of the eagles and they're not afraid of me. As long as I can still stand up and get about, I'll carry on feeding them as long as I can.'
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