62 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} difficulty catching fish or hunting. She also cannot mate because of her inability to move her tail. Subsequently, Sequoia transferred to the San Francisco Zoo, where she spent 22 years as an ambassador for the bald eagle breeding program under the direction of John Aikin. When Aikin became the executive director of the Palo Alto Children’s Zoo and Museum, Sequoia moved to the Peninsula. John Flynn began working with Sequoia in San Francisco and continued in Palo Alto, where Sequoia has resided for the past 11 years. Sequoia weighs 11.5 pounds. This seems light for a creature of her size until you realize that she is mostly feathers and muscles with hollow bones. During an ambassador session, Sequoia sits perched on John’s outstretched arm for extended periods in a way that is physically quite challenging. He is often assisted at times by a fixed perch and by Dennis Eve, who has also been working with Sequoia for the past five years. Thanks to the level of trust between them, John is able to demonstrate Sequoia with full wing extension, with her protective, nictitating eyelid closed and her mouth open. He also makes use of a water sprayer, which Sequoia seems to enjoy and helps keep her cool. Occasionally, Sequoia will rub her face on John’s arm. This looks like an act of affection, but John assures me, she is using him to help preen. Bald eagles are members of the Accipitridae family, which includes hawks, eagles and kites. Their specific name, leucocephalus, aptly means “white head.” But unlike vultures, bald eagles are not bald. The “bald” part of their common name seems to be etymologically linked to a word meaning “white” as in piebald. Another common misconception about bald eagles has to do with their vocalizations. In popular media such as The Colbert Report, the imagery of a bald eagle is often paired with the imposing and iconic call of a red-tailed hawk. The actual call of a bald eagle is far less threatening. You can meet Sequoia and John by visiting the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Although Sequoia is not on public display, she does a series of meet-andgreet sessions on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at noon. John is more than happy to answer all your eagle questions. greet an eagle paloaltozoo.org ABOVE: Here we see both John and Sequoia wearing masks. Sequoia’s mask covers her eyes and helps keep her calm during transport. John’s mask is helpful in protecting Sequoia from the risk of bird flu; occasionally, Sequoia and John (seen here with Robert Siegel) will do educational outreach at iconic locations such as Stanford’s Rodin sculpture garden.
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