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Winter is eagle-watching season in Iowa. According to wildlife biologists at the Department of Natural Resources, icy winters drive the birds to rivers to forage for food when inland waters freeze over.
According to the Lock and Dam Eagle Counts conducted by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the largest numbers of eagles so far have been spotted near Burlington. The Corp also monitors Eagles at lock and dams near Bellevue, LeClaire, Muscatine, Burlington, Keokuk and Dubuque.
The birds begin arriving in Iowa during September and become more numerous through January, depending on the harshness of the winter. By the mid-1980s approximately 1,500 eagles total wintered in Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. By 1996, that number has escalated to nearly 5,700 wintering eagles, more than one-third of all bald eagles counted in the lower 48 states during winter.
The highest concentration of eagles in the Midwest is along the Mississippi River. Approximately 2,500 to 4,000 bald eagles winter along the Mississippi between Minneapolis and 50 miles south of St. Louis. The Mississippi River is a popular wintering area for bald eagles because of abundant food and open water, particularly at locks and dams and power plants that keep the river from freezing. This provides the eagles with an area to hunt their primary food source--fish. The fish are stunned as they pass through the gates of the dam and provide an easy-to-catch source of food. At Keokuk, where these conditions exist, 100 to 400 bald eagles may winter in the area.
In addition to food, eagles need places to roost during the night and perch during the day. Bald eagles generally roost together in large mature trees surrounded by a buffer of smaller trees. Roosts are chosen by the eagles to provide protection from the weather and avoid disturbances. Roosts are also generally close to a source of food. Daytime perches are usually within 60 yards of the water’s edge. Large cottonwoods tend to be used most frequently, although the eagles will choose smaller trees that are closer to the water. On mild days eagles may be seen standing on the ice.
Veterans of Eagle Watch events know to give eagles plenty of space because the birds are under pressure to consume enough food and expend as little energy as possible in order to maintain body heat. The DNR says that if fishermen, bird watchers, or boaters get too close to theeagles, the birds will waste valuable energy flying away. It exposes them to undue stress and could cause abandonment of a site.
To avoid disturbing eagles, spectators should not get any closer than 400 yards from a perched eagle and, better yet, stay in your car if possible. Stay on the opposite side of the river or lake to allow them a peaceful refuge. Since over 70 percent of the eagle’s feeding occurs during the early morning, avoid visiting areas that eagles rely on for food before 9 a.m. That will allow the eagle enough time to adequately feed before human activity disrupts their foraging.
In 2007, a late freeze is leading to speculaton that eagle nesting won't be as concentrated since they can fish and hunt in smaller bodies of water that aren't frozen. However, river locations are still the best place to spot eagles.
Bald eagles are considered an endangered species. However, aggressive environmental programs have helped bring the birds back from just a few hundred 20 years ago to nearly 4,400 in Iowa in 2004.
In the state, about 60 percent of eagles are found near the Mississippi are found near lakes, along smaller rivers and near open streams.
Eagles come to Iowa in winter months
An eagle soars above the Mississippi River near Davenport. Eagle numbers may be down this year because warm weather has allowed the birds to forage on land instead of fishing rivers and lakes.
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