What lovely luck I had today, spotting this pair of majestic (and tremendously overweight) bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) out for a stroll, brightening up an otherwise grey and overcast day. No doubt they were on the prowl for tiny mammals.

Did you know that the bald eagle's common name comes not from a propensity toward hair loss, but rather from the distinctive black coloration on its head? Black is, of course the absence of color (i.e. "bald") when it comes to pigmentation. Think about what happens when you get too much sunlight -- your skin will reduce its output of pigmentation and become darker, just like the bald eagle's head!

The opposite is true when it comes to light, where white is instead the absence of color. Think about one of them newfangled electronic tablets (because laptops don't exist anymore). When an electric current is used to suppress the red, green, and blue liquid crystals, what do you see on the screen? White, of course! And when the electric current ceases and the liquid crystals get a chance to reactivate, the screen turns black.

Isn't science just awesome?

Anyway, enjoy the bald eagles.


(To those of you doing searches who may insist upon proper identification, these might actually be Canada Goose. Gooses. Geeses. Geese. Whatever.)