In the 1960s, the bald eagle was on the brink of extinction caused by the pesticide DDT and other human pressures. Following their protection as an endangered species, bald eagles have come roaring back. But even in the best of times, life in the wild for these birds is a surprisingly tough struggle.

From the pristine wilderness of Alaska to the Upper Mississippi River Valley, American Eagle goes behind the scenes and into the nest to provide the ultimate bird’s eye view into the private life of an American icon.

The Isle of Mull is the fourth largest Scottish island, and its 300-mile coastline supports a wide range of species.  Although animals such as otters, seals and dolphins are often seen there, the island is most famous for its eagles.  The golden eagle, one of the most familiar birds of the region, presents a magnificent display of colorful plumage and powerful features.  And another inhabitant is getting lots of attention — the white-tailed sea eagle, which was once extinct in the area, but has since been re-introduced and has taken up residence on Mull.  It has a striking appearance, an enormous 8-foot wingspan, and impressive hunting tactics.  The sea eagles can eat anything from fish to the occasional lamb, and can be seen soaring through the air with their prey dangling from their sharp talons.  It’s no mystery why their growing presence has become a source of pride for the island.  And for Buchanan, who left Mull before the birds were re-established in the area, the eagles were an exciting addition to his home turf.

As Buchanan says, there is “always something to film” while exploring Mull.  He heads off in all directions, finding otters like those he remembered watching as a child and stumbling upon sights he never dreamed of seeing.  It’s a spectacular setting, combining the changing moods of sea and sky, woodlands and coastline with the quaint and dreamy feel of the place, which now attracts a multitude of tourists but still manages to maintain its unique character.

Watch as Buchanan rediscovers his homeland, surprises himself with new findings, and falls in love all over again with the splendor and magic of Mull.

Eagles of Mull premieres Sunday, May 3 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings).

Photo © Iain Erskine c/o Carolyn Naylor

The natural world is filled with “moments of impact” – the split seconds when animals come into contact with each other and the world around them. Previously many of these moments were too fast or too hidden for us to see. But now new camera technologies reveal what’s behind these remarkable moments, and cutting edge animations illustrate the “inside story” of animal bioengineering that allows each moment of impact to take place.

Episode 1: Hunters & Herds
They are the scenes of some of the largest concentrations of predators and prey on the planet – the vast tracts of grassland and savannah found on every continent but Antarctica. Yet survival in this kind of open, horizontal world is far from easy, with few places to hide, a scarcity of vegetation, drought, fire and the threat of attack by some of the world’s fastest and most powerful hunters.

From Africa’s Serengeti to California’s grasslands, some of nature’s most dramatic moments are caught, examined and “fractured” into their unique parts … within creatures great and small … to reveal the amazing abilities that give each animal the instinct, intelligence and brute prowess to survive. From elaborate impact sequences that spin around animals caught in a “frozen moment” to animations that go inside their bodies – a unique view of animals’ amazing biomechanics is revealed.

Episode 2: Jungle
Teeming with creatures in every shape and form, the jungle is the most diverse habitat on the planet and home to nearly half of the world’s plant and animal species. Rising hundreds of feet from the dark depths of the tropical forest floor, through layers of twisting branch and canopy full of life – this vertical landscape pushes the limits of animal engineering.

The jungle’s layers are peeled back to dissect more amazing moments of impact. Stealth and ambush reign in the jungle and survival depends on highly tuned senses and ingenious defenses. From ninja ants to flying snakes, cameras dive underwater, sail through trees and penetrate fur, feathers, skin and bone to reveal the science of some amazing animal engineering hidden deep in the jungle.

Moment of Impact premieres over two Sundays, April 4 and April 11, 2010.

Humans have long revered eagles.

Eagles. For centuries, these seemingly larger-than-life birds have fascinated and inspired us.

We venerate them as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence. In some religions, high-soaring eagles are believed to touch the face of God. Legend holds that Mexico’s Aztecs so revered the birds that they built Tenochtitlan, their capital, at the spot where an eagle perched on a cactus.

Behind this extraordinary reverence, however, is the even more remarkable story of how Earth’s 59 species of eagles live their high-flying lives. That story is told in the NATURE program Eagles, which gives a rare bird’s-eye-view of these masters of the sky. Eagles documents the stunning acrobatics and the ferocious hunting skills that have made these birds the nobility of feathered society, from the plains of Africa and the rivers of Alaska to the forests of the Philippines and the seas off Japan.

When eagles come to mind, people commonly imagine some enormous hunter soaring above wide-open spaces on outsized wings. Indeed, eagles are among the world’s largest birds of prey. The largest, including the Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle, can weigh more than 20 pounds and have wings that spread eight feet across. Using their massive, sharp talons, these giants can kill and carry off prey as large as deer and monkeys.

But not all eagles fit this stereotype: some are just small balls of feathers content to flap short distances, dining on insects or even fruit. The Crested Serpent Eagle, for instance, is no bigger than a pigeon and spends its days walking and climbing through its African forest home in search of snakes. And the African Vulturine Fish-Eagle is primarily a vegetarian, eschewing meat in favor of rich oil palm fruits.

Overall, scientists recognize four groups of eagles: The world’s 12 species of “serpent eagles” (also called “snake-eagles”) typically perch on trees and feed on snakes, frogs, and lizards. The six buzzard-like eagles are forest-dwelling giants, such as the Harpy and Philippine eagles, and prey on large mammals like deer.

Eagles glide for hours at a time.

The thirty “booted” eagles, so-called because feathers grow down the legs and cover the toes, include the widest-ranging eagle of them all: the Golden Eagle, which is found around the world and has learned to feast on an assortment of prey. In Greece, Golden Eagles even eat turtles, dropping them from great heights onto rocks to break open their armored shells. The eleven sea eagles, which include America’s beloved Bald Eagle, tend to specialize in eating fish and water birds — some even hunt flamingoes and poisonous sea snakes.

Biologists also recognize another significant difference among eagles: some are built to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are designed to soar high above open plains and water with nary a wing flap.

The forest eagles, such as the Crested Serpent Eagle, have short wings and long tails that enable them to twist and turn easily — an advantage when chasing prey at high speed through tree trunks and branches. In contrast, soaring eagles, such as the Golden Eagle and Africa’s Bateleur Eagle, have short, wide tails and broad, long wings that enable them to glide effortlessly on rising air currents. There is a tradeoff, however: soaring eagles tend to be poor flyers, making every takeoff and landing an adventure! As a result, soaring eagles often hunt from high perches, where they can literally “fall” into the air and swoop down on unsuspecting fish and mammals. Still, soaring provides an efficient means of covering ground — a necessity for eagles living in areas where food may be scarce. Golden eagles nesting in Wyoming, for instance, often have foraging areas that cover 100 square miles.

To defend these territories and attract a mate, soaring eagles put on spectacular aerial displays. The airshows include death-defying swoops and seemingly suicidal dogfights — undertaken against both rivals and potential partners — that involve locking talons with the other bird and free-falling in a death spiral. The great American poet Walt Whitman, witnessing one of these breathtaking displays by Bald Eagles, described it as “a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,/ four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,/ in tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling.” Sometimes, the dogfights end only when the great birds crash into a treetop or, in rare instances, one dies from hitting the ground.

Eagles are known for their sharp vision.

Usually, however, eagle eyes are too keen for the birds to fly blindly into danger. In fact, eagles’ vision is among the sharpest of any animal. Wedge-tailed Eagles, for instance, can see twice as far as people. Studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to two miles away.

In part, eagles have excellent vision because their eyes, which are very large in proportion to their heads, are densely packed with sensory cells. While humans typically have 200,000 light-sensitive cells per square millimeter of retina, eagles may have 1 million — five times more. Similarly, while humans have only one fovea, a funnel-shaped part of the retina where vision is sharpest, eagles have two. Finally, where people see just three basic colors, eagles see five, enabling them to pick out even well-camouflaged prey.

Unfortunately, even such remarkable traits have not protected eagles from harm. Around the world, many eagle populations are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution. But conservation efforts are helping some species. In the U.S., for instance, the Bald Eagle has made a dramatic comeback over the last few decades. And on the island of Madagascar, the dramatic 1993 rediscovery of the Madagascar Serpent Eagle has raised hopes that its population also can be protected and restored.

Online content for Eagles was originally posted May 1998.