Watchers of bald eagles expect big season

ST. LOUIS -- The migration of bald eagles to the St. Louis area has begun, and experts expect there will be no shortage of them to spot in light of long-range forecasts for a cool winter.

"You can really expect this to be a better year of eagle viewing," the Missouri Department of Conservation's Holly Berthold said.

During Eagle Days, the Department of Conservation encourages eagle watching at selected spots statewide. The event kicks off in Kansas City this weekend and comes to the St. Louis area on Jan. 18-19.

As far as sightings, Berthold said, "We were sweating it out last year during our Eagle Days Event. But I expect this to be a great winter."

As cooler weather approaches, bald eagles begin to fly south, looking for prey in warmer waters. Most come from central Canada and Great Lakes states, where waters have begun to freeze.

They migrate to areas in Illinois like Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton, the Alton lake section of the Mississippi River and various locks and dams.

A few bald eagles usually are detected in Missouri by the middle of fall, though Missouri conservationists say most arrive in December.

The bald eagle, the country's national symbol since 1782, has an average wingspan of 75 inches and a height of 30 inches. The bird is identified by its brown body and white head and tail.

Bald eagle populations, which reached an estimated 500,000 in the early 1700s, by the 1960s had been reduced to endangered levels of less than 500 nesting pairs. Mass shootings, the use of crop pesticides, destruction of habitat and contamination of waterways and food sources are blamed for the decline.

These days, there are nearly 6,000 breeding pairs.

Missouri, which last winter counted 2,866 bald eagles, recognizes the bird as endangered at the state level. Most of last winter's sightings were near Table Rock Lake, the Mississippi River and the Osage River.