Strength, courage and freedom were on full display in Florida’s state capital Wednesday morning when one of the country’s most recognized symbols made a brief pit stop on one of Tallahassee’s main thoroughfares.
Kendra Kingston said she couldn’t believe her eyes when she spotted a bald eagle in the middle of Apalachee Parkway.
“It was breathtaking,” Kingston said.
Bald eagle finds its way to Tallahassee, Florida, March 2, 2026.
She said she was driving near the town’s newest dog park when she noticed the bird and a few other drivers who had pulled over to help shoo it to safety.
The group of them managed to get the bird into the median, and from there the eagle flew over to the Apalachee Regional Dog Park.
“I was just amazed to be within arms length of that type of bird,” Kingston said, noting its beautiful brown and white colors.
The bald eagle has been considered a national symbol of the U.S. since 1782 when Congress adopted the nation’s Great Seal, but the stoic bird wasn’t officially the national bird until former President Joe Biden signed legislation Dec. 2024.
For many decades, the bald eagle was near extinction until conservation efforts succeeded and numbers rebounded in 2007, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website. The National Audubon Society lists the eagle as an uncommon sight in north Florida that can be spotted in all seasons.
“The recovery of the bald eagle is one of the most well-known conservation success stories of all time,” the agency’s website says. “We continue to work with our partners in state and federal agencies, tribes, nongovernment organizations and private landowners to ensure that our nation’s symbol flourishes.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Sunshine State has the densest population of eagles of all states outside of Alaska. Their primary habitat includes coastal locations near rivers, lakes, and marshes with access to fish and surrounding forest. The state’s largest population of bald eagles is in Central Florida’s wetland systems from the lower St. John’s River to Lake Okeechobee and along the Gulf coast.
Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee resident spots bald eagle in Florida capital