Thank goodness the area’s favorite football team — or what should be the local gridiron heroes — weren’t tagged with their official biological name. Just try to imagine fans belting out a rousing rendition of “Fly, Haliaeetus leucocephalus Fly” after every touchdown.

Latin aside, the creature in question is a bald eagle. In a recent article in More Than the Curve, a West Conshohocken resident reported seeing one gloriously resting in a neighborhood tree, as reported by Kevin Tierney.

Philadelphia birder Tony Croasdale, in a 2020 posting to the My Philly Park blog, states that these national symbols are fairly common locally.

According to his research, there are twice as many eagles in Pa. than in Wyoming. He says the state’s abundance of water is a major draw, enabling the majestic flyers ample opportunity to fish.

The Pa. Game Commission began a proliferation effort back in the 1980s; its efforts have yielded 300 or so nests in the Commonwealth in the intervening years.

Within Montgomery County specifically, eagles are now common to spot in Springfield Township, near Morris Arboretum and Fort Washington State Park. Come fall, however, South Philadelphia will be their epicenter; this variety, however, shuns feathers for shoulder pads and helmets.

More on where its possible to spot a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) throughout the Phila. suburbs is at the My Philly Park blog.