By Roger Morris, Western News Publisher

Another eagle has landed.

Libby school teacher Todd Berget erected his fourth eagle sculpture Thursday night at Montana Machine along U.S. Highway 2 south of Libby.

This sculpture is slightly smaller than the first three works but it does have a wingspan, from wing tip to wing tip, of 21 feet.

³Because of metal prices today it is the most expensive one,² Berget said.

The steel and stainless sculpture depicts a bald eagle with its wings bent forward as if it were coming down to a perch.

Berget started working on the sculpture in early August and responded to a request to make one slightly smaller than the first three eagles, which had 40-foot wing spans.

Two of Berget¹s eagle sculptures are in public places in Libby. The first sculpture, made with longtime friend Darrien Greason of Bethel, Alaska, sits at the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce visitors center. A third sculpture is perched high above U.S. 2 where it intersects with Minnesota Avenue by the landscaped triangle. The second sculpture, a dramatic and fierce looking eagle — also made with Greason¹s help — is located at the entrance to a business near West Glacier.

³A few people asked me to work at a smaller scale,² Berget said.

That request, combined with metal prices and his time limitation school began, made it easier, he said.

³I talked before with Leroy Thom (owner of Montana Machine) about putting one of the previous eagles in front of his business,² Berget said. ³From the beginning, LeRoy has been like a sponsor of the sculptures helping us getting equipment and metals that we needed.²

For various reasons, as well as the logistics of moving one of the bigger sculptures down the highway to Thom¹s business, it never happened, that is until Thursday night.

Berget said it will remain there until it is sold.