The Springfield Conservation Center would like to invite nature enthusiasts and bird watchers to Eagle Days later this month. This comes after an Army Corps of Engineers survey revealed that Table Rock Lake is home to over 200 bald eagles nests. KSMU’s Shannon Bowers has more.
People have come to know and love our national symbol, the bald eagle. So much that the bird is no longer on the federal or state endangered species list. Missouri is one of the top two states in the country where Bald Eagles reside in the winter.
Eagles will annually leave their homes around the great lakes and travel to Missouri in search of finding open water, where they can freely fish.
In recent years, Table Rock Lake has become quite the hub for these birds of prey, due to the fact that they are attracted to the open water, standing timber, and little human development.
The conservation of the bald eagle in the United States has been a huge success, according to John Miller with the Sheppard of the Hills Conservation Center in Branson.
“Back in the 70s we were lucky to see 500 eagles in the state. Now we are seeing over 2,600… A lot of the success is due to the public’s interest in watching to protect the eagle. When we do that not just the eagles benefit but all forest, fish, and wildlife,” said Miller
According to Miller, early morning when it is still cold out is the best time to get a glimpse of this national symbol.
Eagle Days is next weekend January 26-27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Springfield’s Conservation Center. It will showcase an eagle in the auditorium at the top of each hour.
For KSMU News, I’m Shannon Bowers.
For more information on Eagle Days
The best places for winter eagle viewing according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
- Lake of the Ozarks at Bagnell Dam Access, east of Bagnell
- Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on Route K, southwest of Columbia
- Lock & Dam 24 at Clarksville
- Lock & Dam 25 east of Winfield
- Mingo National Wildlife Refuge northwest of Puxico
- Old Chain of Rocks Bridge south of I-270, off of Riverview Drive, St. Louis
- Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area east of West Alton
- Schell-Osage Conservation Area north of El Dorado Springs
- Smithville Lake north of Kansas City
- Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge south of Mound City
- Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge south of Sumner
- Table Rock Lake and Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery southwest of Branson
- Truman Reservoir west of Warsaw