Natural Flyers: Bald Eagles Arrive at Audubon Center Riverlands

By Carmelo Turdo

It is winter again in the Midwest, and with it comes large numbers of migrating birds along the waterways of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in the St. Louis area. The Aero Experience begins our Natural Flyers series with this first look at the bald eagles gathering at the Audubon Center Riverlands in West Alton, MO. We were fortunate to encounter this pair of eagles on a low perch near the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. Eventually, they launched, circled and flew off across the river to points unknown. On the other side of Riverlands, we found a number of eagles perched on trees and occasionally fishing. Two featured here were harassed by a gull throughout their fishing expeditions, the second losing the catch in the process.