Eagles Everywhere

[Chief Grey Bear]

Here is a story that just ran in the Globe.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_014164726.html

[DD'sMC]

Here is a story that just ran in the Globe.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_014164726.html

Great info. Thanks for posting.

[Thom]

http://www.cassville-democrat.com/story/1490200.html

I have seen this numerous times on the prarie between RRSP and Washburn Missouri.

I wish I had a better camera, sometimes you can get 10 or 15 yds from the before they will

fly, I think they are full of dead chickens, you see this around chicken farms a lot around

Cassville.

Tim:

I counted 400 + eagles with my spotting scope below Clarksville dam on the missippi river. They congregate there when the ice covers large stretches of the river to feed on pigeons and dead fish going through the dam or trapped in the backwater. Quite a sight to see them soaring just feet above your head and then diving into the water coming up with a fish or small duck. Great sauger and walleye fishing below clarksville dam.

If this weather continues I might make a trip up there this week end to see if there are any eagles starting to congregate.

Thom

[DD'sMC]

Tim:

I counted 400 + eagles with my spotting scope below Clarksville dam on the missippi river. They congregate there when the ice covers large stretches of the river to feed on pigeons and dead fish going through the dam or trapped in the backwater. Quite a sight to see them soaring just feet above your head and then diving into the water coming up with a fish or small duck. Great sauger and walleye fishing below clarksville dam.

If this weather continues I might make a trip up there this week end to see if there are any eagles starting to congregate.

Thom

Please let us know on here what you find. We'll be making a trip up that way at the end of the month. We made a side trip over to the Clarksville dam back in mid December but the eagles weren't there yet. Only a few, flying here and there, over near Granite City.

[Quillback]

They seem to be everywhere now, I work out of my house and a cuple of days ago looked out the window and saw a big bird cruising by, I see a lot of Turkey Vultures around here which at first I thought it was, but it turned out to be Mr. Baldy. First one I have seen near my house. Then yesterday I am just across the line into Missouri on HWY 71 filling up with gas, notice a big bird circling around high in the sky, yep you guessed it, another Eagle.

[Thom]

Please let us know on here what you find. We'll be making a trip up that way at the end of the month. We made a side trip over to the Clarksville dam back in mid December but the eagles weren't there yet. Only a few, flying here and there, over near Granite City.

I made a trip to Lock and Dam 24 (Clarksdale) today. I saw eagles at every viewing place. We stopped first at the city access and there were at least 50 eagles (mostly adults) flying and diving into the water below the dam. Across the river I counted 22 adults in just one tree. I used my spotting scope viewing on the ice shelf at the tributary across the stream from Illinois and their were 65 juveniles resting on the shelf of Ice waiting for parents to bring or drop treats to them. Down stream from the dam in the trees there were at least 100 more adults and lots of juveniles mixed in with them. I could only see the bald caps on the adults clearly but my scope can see nearly a mile downsteam there. We then went to the viewing platform at the dam and could see several flying there looking for ducks and pigeons that were easy picking.

We then traveled North on 79 past the visitors center to the parking area at the top of the hill in the trees on the bluffs just out of town and saw at least 75 more adults and a sprinkling of juveniles across the road peached in the trees.

The sun was relfecting on them there and really illuminated the white heads.

From there we traveled to the Village of the blue rose and had lunch and saw several on the ice which is all the way across the river above the dam forcing the eagles to use the dam for the main food supply until the ice breaks up or melts.

Quite a day.

BTW Next week will be Eagle day there and the crowds will fill the town. There will be demonstrations etc in the barn just at the south end of town and scopes by mdc at the visitors center for the kids to use. I spent lots of time today setting up my scope for the youngster to see the marvel of the comeback of our national bird. '

Quite a sucess story for our dnr in restoring a species from endangered to a magnificant new population.

Counting all of the places we stopped I am sure that we saw at least 300 eagles throughout the day in just about 3 miles of river front.

Thom

[DD'sMC]

Great report, Thom. I cannot wait to get up that way, probably won't be next weekend. Hopefully they will still be there the following weekend. Thanks for posting!