PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. — The best time to get a glimpse at the majestic eagle in Wisconsin is during the winter months. That’s because they tend to stay close to waterways which provide a constant food source.
But due to warming temperatures, wildlife photographer Bob Lyon said finding the emblem of the nation is getting much harder.
“Last couple of years it has been kind of warm and there is not much ice forming, so you really have to go hunting, you really have to go looking,” said Lyon.
Lyon and his wife are retired. They’re spending the winter months driving up and down the Mississippi searching for eagles and other wildlife.
“They are not congregating as much because the water is not frozen, so they are more dispersed,” said Lyon.
Lyon, along with dozens of other Wisconsinites, were lucky enough to see five different eagles in Prairie du Sac during the Bald Eagle Watching Days event.
“There’s a dam just upstream here, keeps the water open all year long, it is a great source of fish and agricultural fields nearby, you know, eating roadkill and things like that,” said Alec Anderson, a volunteer with Ferry Bluff Eagle Council.
Anderson said you don’t have to wait for Bald Eagle Watching Days to see America’s favorite bird of prey. They can be seen throughout the winter.
But the species may be in danger.
The American bald eagle was endangered in Wisconsin up until 1997 due to habitat disturbance, destruction and shootings, according to state leaders.
Anderson said if Wisconsinites aren’t educated, the bald eagle could find itself back on the endangered animals list.
“Eagles are recovering, which is great, but there are still a lot of threats to eagles and one of the big ones is a lead shot,” said Anderson. “Lead bullets and so one of the projects we work on are trying to get people to transition from lead bullets to copper bullets.”
A big part of an eagle’s diet is road kill and dead animals, so the main way eagles consume lead is through hunting game and varmints.
The Ferry Bluff Eagle Council does everything it can to protect the eagles. Besides using copper bullets, they said one of the best things you can do to protect these birds is to learn more about them.
The council holds events and provides educational information all year. To find out more, just follow this link.
