Eaglemania sweeps the country

The father bald eagle (left of the nest) takes a break

The web camera at the Decorah Fish Hatchery was very popular last year--but that still was nothing compared to the worldwide exposure it has been getting this month.

Raptor Resource official Bob Anderson calls the response "phenomenal."  He says he has been fielding phone calls from reporters around the globe all this week.  "That's all I do now," he laughs, speaking between interviews with "All Things Considered," Canadian Television, and numerous radio and television reporters.

Anderson says the eagle camera got a total of 87,000 distinct visitors last year.  At 7:00 a.m. Tuesday it had 87,000 visitors at just that time.  Later in the day that total increased to 160,000 visitors.

"It's taken on a life of its own," says Anderson.  That's true not only for the website, but also for the actual nest site.  Cars were parked in all four directions at the Fish Hatchery over the weekend.  "We may need a policeman," says Anderson.

He believes the response to the bald eagle hatching is a sign that Americans are looking for something positive in the midst of a lot of news about wars and recessions.  If so, a lot of people are finding it--in record numbers from all across the world.

The camera equipment