Former Kansas City Star outdoors columnist Brent Frazee gave a presentation called The Eagles Have Landed Nov. 16 at Weston Mid-Continent Public Library.
Eagles have begun their migration to the local area as they follow the geese migration. Since December and January are ideal months to view bald eagles Frazee told audience members about the best local areas to view these birds.
Loess Bluffs and Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, both in Missouri were named as ideal sites to view eagles, along with Milford Lake and Clinton Lake in Kansas and Riss Lake in Parkville. About 200 bald eagles can be seen each year at Loess Bluffs. Frazee said Parkville English Landing Park and Smithville Lake were also good choices for eagle sightings
The birds are drawn to major waterways such as the Missouri River. Frazee said the best time to view them is on weekdays since there is less traffic to stress them.
Only 412 nesting pairs of bald eagles remained in the U.S. in the 1960s and with the species facing extinction, in the late 60’s they were placed on the Endangered Species List. Shootings, destruction of habitat, mercury and lead poisoning from eating fish and other dead animals and to a great extent, the insecticide DDT had threatened the birds for decades. The birds also died due to running into electrical wiring. Frazee said the birds were also vilified in the past and were accused of carrying off lambs and small children.
I still get thrilled when I see a bald eagle,” Frazee said. “It used to be when I would go fishing or hunting it was rare to see a bald eagle and when I would see one it was just breathtaking. Today there are a lot more chances to see bald eagles. Missouri’s role in recovery and bringing the eagle back has been very strong.”
With the implementation of the Endangered Species List eagles rebounded to total about 10,000 nesting pairs in the lower 48 U.S. states today. Not quite the 300,000 to 400,000 eagles estimated to be in the U.S. in the 1700s, but a great improvement for the last 60 years. Frazee said snow geese and whooping cranes are also making a big come-back.
When commenting on what makes the bald eagle so special Frazee said the wing span is seven to eight feet. “When you get close and watch it take off it’s like an aircraft carrier. A bald eagle’s nest is enormous. It can be as much as five feet deep and five feet wide and it can weigh a ton. How they can stay up in the trees is amazing.”
He said there are more nesting pairs in Missouri and Kansas than there have been since pioneer days and that it’s not all migrating eagles that we are seeing.
Many eagles are misidentified as hawks and peregrine falcons because their white heads (which look bald from a distance) are brown for four or five years as they mature.
“Native American tribes considered bald eagles to be sacred,” Frazee said. “They would keep parts of bald eagles for their religious ceremonies. They thought the bald eagle had spiritual powers.”
On June 20, 1897 the bald eagle became the U.S. national bird. However one prominent American disagreed. Benjamin Franklin viewed the eagle as a common scavenger. He was more in favor of the wild turkey taking the honor of national bird.
“People look at them as regal birds and predators, but they would much rather scavenge,” Frazee said. “They would much rather eat roadkill and get a dead meal rather than a live one. They are fishermen and fisherwomen and they love to get shad, which are kind of sluggish in the winter in the cold water. They follow the geese that are struggling, who have either died or are injured, or just after the rigors of making a long and hard migration.”
One of the more quirky pleasures of bald eagles according to Frazee is getting distracted when fishing and riding ice floes down rivers. “They will ride the ice floe down the river and then fly back and get on another one,” Frazee said.
Frazee recommends that people hoping to view bald eagles will attend Missouri Eagle Days events which include live programs and a captive bald eagle for viewing. Bald Eagle Days were Dec. 7-9 at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge and coming up on Jan. 4-5 at Paradise Point Golf Course at Smithville Lake and at the Lake of the Ozarks.