Hiking And Eagle Watching

[mic]

I would like to plan a winter trip for hiking and photographing Bald Eagles. Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks In Advance,

MIC

[Bird Watcher]

Hey Mic,

The best place place I know of to look at Eagles isn't really that scenic. They congregate by the hundreds around Wheaton MO in late winter. If you catch it right it's nothing to see 2-300 of them in one place.

The other places I have seen a lot of them would be up and down the Elk River drainage system in McDonald County. If you get way up the Indian Creek and Sugar creek drainages in Late winter there are always a lot of them around.

I know there's always a lot of them on any of the area lakes during the winter. The other place I always see them is around large concentrations of waterfowl. If you find a large group of ducks or geese in January or February there will usually be Eagles following them around. I've actually lost 5-10 ducks over the years to Eagles. They will swoop right in and pick a dead or crippled duck off the water if there's one around.

[mic]

Looked a Wheaton on the map. There isn't anything there. I guess I was expecting a lake or something. Do you just drive around?

When is the best time to start looking?

[Bird Watcher]

To tell the truth, they hang just hang around outside of town, mostly on the North Side. You'll start seeing them from the highway. Best I remember the large concentration of them is about 2 miles north of town. You might check with City Hall, I think they have an "Eagle Watching Days" little town festival if I remember correctly. I think that 10 or 15 years ago one of the local chicken farmers would pile his dead chickens out in the middle of a section of land he owned, the eagles found it and started congregating around it. Eventually, the State made him stop the practice, so I've heard, but the birds are still imprinted on the area because they've been going there for a couple generations now. Usually January and February are the peak times for eagles in our neck of the woods.

[mic]

Thanks

[Justin Spencer]

I've been seeing quite a few here lately so I think they are already arriving. They say they usually follow the duck migration, and ducks are already coming through or hanging around.

[Flysmallie]

There are always a few around Bennett Springs and Roaring River. Took one of my daughters to Roaring River a few years ago just so she could see a bald eagle. I think we spotted close to 20 before we even made it to the park. There is also at least one resident pair on the lower James. First saw them nesting a couple of years ago and saw them again back in August.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, the thing about eagle watching is that not only do you not need to hike far to do it, but the best places in the winter are not all that scenic. Over in my side of the state, you'll usually see at least a half dozen in the winter in the campground below Clearwater Dam. You'll probably see a few along the Mississippi in and around Ste. Genevieve. If you just want a nice hike with a decent chance to see eagles on the far end of it, try Magnolia Hollow, an MDC area along the river east of Bloomsdale. Or take short hikes along the Meramec at either Onondaga State Park or Meramec State Park...at some point during the day you'll see a few. Or hike Silvermines or Millstream Gardens on the St. Francis. All the bigger Ozark streams have eagles in the winter.

[P_L]

You live in Illinois so you might have already been here but Pere Marquette State Park is a great place to hike and eagle watch. They nest along the river road from Alton to Pere Marquette by the hundreds.

[moguy1973]

You live in Illinois so you might have already been here but Pere Marquette State Park is a great place to hike and eagle watch. They nest along the river road from Alton to Pere Marquette by the hundreds.

Yes they do...It's quite spectacular if you catch a lot of them out like that up there.