When I was skiing yesterday, I saw a bald eagle flying over me. That struck me as weird because I thought eagles migrated with birds or whatever their food supply is. It is obviously winter, and winter in Northern Wisconsin is really winter.
So I came back and looked up the migration patterns of bald eagles and it showed this area and it said that eagle can be here year round. Just like in Kansas. That is nice to know.
I love watching eagles fly. They are very majestic. I went to YouTube to see if there is a video of eagles flying and I found the video below.
I have no desire to be a fisherman, but I would like to experience this a few times. I’m not big on eagles acting like seagulls, but they are scavengers and need to get food somewhere, so I forgive them for acting “out of character”, at least according to what I think they should act like.
A week ago three of us rode at Perry Lake, just east of Topeka. We saw two bald eagles. One of them led us down Lower Lake Road as we approached the dam from the North. He flew down the middle of the road, maybe 20 feet above us. Really beautiful bird and cool to be that close.
There are literally hundreds of them at most of the Lock & Dams on the Mississippi River. The water remains open year around because of the turbulence which also makes it easy hunting grounds for the eagles (they prefer dead or weakened fish).
So there is such a thing as a free lunch.
I worked in a Bald Eagle program with a state wildlife agency as an intern in college. We would send people up to eagle nests to grab the eaglets so we could put numbered leg bands on them and them put them back in their nest. You’d be surprised at the wide variety of things they eat as evidenced by what is stinking away in their nests. Snake skins, turtle shells, duck heads, fish bones…they’re predatory scavengers. Road kill, a crippled duck, or a live fish, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference in their eyes.
Steve, next you’re heading to Winona from the northland check out Reeds Landing on Hwy 61 just north of Winona. Stop in at the National Eagle Center. Great place to watch eagles especially in winter.
The National Eagle Center is in Wabasha, MN. Home of grumpy old men! The Eagle Center has rescue eagles that they let roost outside daily. Amazing to see them up close. Reeds Landing has a cool little bar and grille that is right on the river.
On a recent road ride in central IL, I scared one trying to fly off with a roadkill raccoon. It dragged the raccoon a few feet, but couldn’t get off the ground with it, so it dropped its find and lit in a nearby tree. When I rode back thru a couple hours later, the raccoon was still there. I was hoping the raccoon would be gone.
Steve – Was the bald eagle wearing a helmet?
I thought Topeka, KS was the home of grumpy old men.
No, Econ101 still holds! haha
The eagles still have to use the energy and effort to get there and even more to actually hunt. The fish is financially free but certainly not economically free.
No idea of your mental state nowadays or tolerance for this viewing this site. If you find this great.
The U of M Raptor center (https://www.raptor.umn.edu/) on the MN State Fair grounds is probably better than all the other suggestions for interacting with bald eagles. Anywhere from Red Wing to Wabasha could be considered prime Winter viewing territory in the wild. There are also numerous Bald Eagle nest webcams spanning their range throughout the US.
Next time you come visit Dan C. or your friends upstairs have them show you the nests nearby. Of the two established ones Grey Cloud Island is more scenic.