High above the banks of the Mississippi river, a nest holds the secret life of one of America’s most patriotic creatures. Their story puzzles scientists, reinforces indigenous wisdom, and wows audiences, all thanks to a park ranger named Ed, and a well-placed webcam. If you want to spoil the mystery, here ya go: it’s a bald eagle. Actually, it’s three bald eagles. A mama bird and daddies make a home together for over a decade and give new meaning to our national symbol.

Learn about the storytellers, listen to music, and dig deeper into the stories you hear on Terrestrials with activities you can do at home or in the classroom on our website, Terrestrialspodcast.org.

Watch “I Wanna Hear the Eagle” and find even MORE original Terrestrials fun on our Youtube.

And badger us on Social Media: @radiolab and #TerrestrialsPodcast.

Special thanks to Abigail Miller, Laurel Braitman, Stan Bousson, Molly Webster, and Maria Paz Gutierrez.

We have some exciting news! In the “Zoozve” episode, Radiolab named its first-ever quasi-moon, and now it's your turn! Radiolab has teamed up with The International Astronomical Union to launch a global naming contest for one of Earth’s quasi-moons. This is your chance to make your mark on the heavens. Submit your name ideas now through September, or vote on your favorites starting in November: https://radiolab.org/moon

EPISODE CREDITS:

Reported by - Ana González and Lulu Miller
with help from - Alan Goffinski
Produced by - Ana González, Alan Goffinski, and Lulu Miller
with help from - Suzie Lechtenberg, Sarah Sandbach, Natalia Ramirez, and Sarita Bhatt
Original music and sound design contributed by - Alan Goffinski and Mira Burt-Wintonick
with mixing help from - Joe Plourde and Jeremy Bloom
Fact-checking by - Diane Kelley
and Edited by - Mira Burt-Wintonick

EPISODE CITATIONS:

Videos -
Check out The Trio Bald Eagle Nest Cam yourself!

Did you know it’s illegal to keep a bald eagle feather? Learn more in this AWESOME short video about the National Eagle Repository.

Articles -
An interview with Nataanii Means in Native Maxx Magazine

The funny history of how the bald eagle became America’s national symbol

An article called “Dirty Birds” about what it’s actually like to live with America’s national symbol.

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Draw:
Journey up into the clouds like an eagle with a special drawing prompt made by artist Wendy Mac and the DrawTogether team that will get you thinking about the weather (both inside and out).

Play 🎶:
Learn how to play the chords to the song “I WANT TO HEAR THE EAGLE.”

Do:
Get crafty with a fun activity sheet!

This week’s storytellers are Ed Britton and Nataanii Means.

Our advisors are Theanne Griffith, Aliyah Elijah, Dominique Shabazz, Liza Steinberg-Demby, and Tara Welty.

Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

How I Did It: Kristin and Shawn Johnson Discuss the Successes and Failures of Independence Capital Property Management