Natural Fliers: Wintering Bald Eagles Thrive at Clarksville, MO

By Carmelo Turdo

During the winter months, The Aero Experience includes coverage of the natural fliers wintering in the Midwest along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Here we feature adult and juvenile bald eagles in our second story of the winter season, this time on a sunny day at Lock and Dam No. 24 in Clarksville, MO. A conservative count of 50-60 bald eagles in the trees and actively fishing along the river banks is likely far short of the actual number. We have below a photo essay of the flying and fishing activity that continued unabated during the mid day hour, providing ample opportunity to capture these majestic birds in their element. In some of these photos, the eagles can be seen catching very small fish and eating them on the wing as they fly away! Included are other water birds, including ring-billed gulls and American white pelicans.