This article last updated 1/10/06

WILD EAGLE WATCHING IN WINTER

IN THE TWIN CITIES

OF MINNEAPOLIS AND SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, AND VICINITY

By DUKE ADDICKS

© 2006 Duke Addicks.

Permission is hereby granted to print and use this version of Wild Eagle Watching in Winter in the Twin Cities for personal or educational purposes, including by schools, environmental educational organizations, nature centers, Indian tribes and similar groups if credit is given. Please contact me if you wish to use this article or various parts of it including the table below for other purposes. Use will not be unreasonably restricted, as the intent is to encourage everyone to learn more about the environment and especially about the Bald Eagle and to experience the joy of watching wild eagles.

Introduction

The information in this document is organized as follows. After a brief description of the habits and habitats of the Bald Eagle are tables suggesting where to watch wild eagles in the winter in the Greater Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and along the Mississippi just south of the Twin Cities. I’ll attempt to keep this information up to date as I receive information about the eagles in this area. Check my home page for EagleNews for current eagle watching information.

If any reader has additional information or locations that I should add to my web site or otherwise know about, please let me know at dukeaddicks@earthlink.net.

The information below is about watching eagles in winter, but this document will soon be updated to contain information about watching eagles in this Twin Cities region all year round. I hope to publish in 2006 A guide to Wild Eagle Watching in the Upper Mississippi Region. Persons interested in purchasing a copy may email me at dukeaddicks@earthlink.net in advance of publication and I will send detailed information on the book when it becomes available.

How Do I Know About Eagles

The information in this document is based on my decades of watching eagles as well as: my ten years experience as a former contract instructor and river tour leader for the Science Museum of Minnesota, my over twenty years experience up to now as a volunteer naturalist/historian for the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and my current experience as a volunteer educator at the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota and as a volunteer educator and eagle handler/caretaker at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

Under the heading Sources of Information, near the end of this document, I list various books and persons I have consulted in the compilation of this information. But the responsibility for its accuracy and completeness is mine alone, so I would appreciate any corrections or other information you may wish to offer. Contact me at: dukeaddicks@earthlink.net

In my presentation, HONOR THE EAGLES!, I combine the latest scientific knowledge about eagles with the American Indian Eagle and Thunderbird Legends and Lore I collect and retell on behalf of the Mdewakanton Indian Community of Mendota. I give my programs at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the Raptor Center, and the National Eagle Center. My presentation, HONOR THE EAGLES! is also available to groups and organizations at other locations.

I also guide eagle watching tours in winter and throughout the year at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

More information about these presentations is contained in the table below and can also be found on my website:

http://www.dukeaddicksstoryteller.com/

Bald Eagle Winter Habits and Habitats

The eagles that overwinter in the Twin Cities are Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Bald Eagles are found only in North America. They are our nation’s symbol. “Balde” is an old English word meaning “white”. Bald Eagles do have feathers on their heads.

The other eagle found in North America is the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) which has been very uncommon in the Twin Cities and seldom seen here, and then only in winter when it comes here from its normal habitat in jackrabbit country out west. However, this winter several Golden Eagles may have been spotted in open areas, away from the rivers, hunting rabbits and other mammals. Golden Eagles are more commonly found in the mountains and grasslands in the western United States and dislike being around concentrations of people. They are mammal eaters, not fish eaters like the Bald Eagle, and do not congregate around bodies of water.

Young Bald Eagles are often mistaken for Golden Eagles around here in the winter because the immature Bald Eagles lack the distinctive white head and tail that they will slowly develop by the time they are four or five years old or so. Thus, with few exceptions, any eagle that you see in the Twin Cities will be a Bald Eagle, whether or not it has a white head or tail.

To determine whether an eagle that does not have the white head and tail is an immature Bald Eagle or a Golden Eagle, view the eagle through a spotting scope or binoculars and look for the distinctive golden head of the adult Golden Eagle. If flying, look for the distinctive white or light colored markings on the underside of the body of the immature Bald Eagle. A good bird book is essential in making this distinction. If I see a brown eagle perched in a tree near a body of water, I assume it is an immature Bald Eagle as Golden Eagles don’t hunt for fish, and if I see a brown eagle soaring well away from a body of water I assume it is the mammal hunting Golden Eagle.

Whenever the term “eagle” is used without modification in this article it means Bald Eagle.

The information below is just my summary of what is known about Bald Eagles and, like any summary, is incomplete.

There are many books written about raptors and just about the Bald Eagle. At the end of this article, I list a few of the best recent books about eagles for those who desire more information.

Adult Bald Eagles Are Here Throughout the Year

A nesting pair of adult eagles are bonded to each other and to the nest site and will stay near their nest site all winter if the lake or river that they nest near does not freeze. There are estimated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to be 1,400 pairs of eagles that nest in Minnesota, and a large percentage of them nest in the Twin Cities region. Those that nest here will likely stay in the Twin Cities all winter. If the lake or stretch of the river that they nest near freezes they will move to the areas of open water in the Twin Cities identified in the tables below.

These adult Twin Cities eagles are joined by the many adult eagles and immature eagles that come here from the far north as the lakes and rivers in Canada and northern Minnesota freeze. The same eagles from outside the Twin Cities will come here to winter in year after year as an eagle apparently returns to the same wintering spot or spots every year.

Immature Bald Eagles Are Here Also

The immature eagles that are seen in the Twin Cities in the winter most likely come from other areas and not from nests in the Twin Cities.

A pair of eagles normally produces one or two young eagles each year. When these young eagles leave the nest in mid-summer, they may stay in the neighborhood for a month or so but then they get the urge to wander and leave the nesting area to explore as far away as the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Coast or well north into Canada.

About half of the newly hatched eagles die during their first winter because they do not develop the ability to find sufficient food to keep themselves alive.

Young eagles slowly develop the distinctive white head and tail of their parents over their first five years. When they develop their white heads and tails, which is a sign that they are sexually mature, many of the young eagles who were hatched here and have survived their youthful adventures will return to this region to find a mate, build a nest and raise their young. These eagles will join the many others that we will see in the Twin Cities in winter.

Bald Eagles Are Here to Eat

The eagles are here, and at other areas of open water south of the Twin Cities on the Mississippi River, to spend the winter because the favorite prey of Bald Eagles is fish. An eagle in the wild needs to eat about one half pound of fish or other meat a day in order to survive the winter. Eagles in captivity like at the Raptor Center and National Eagle Center (for locations see table below) are fed less because of their relative inactivity compared to their wild relatives.

Eagles need to find open water where their favorite surface feeding fish will be available all winter.

Eagles hunt by looking for fish or other easily caught prey like the few ducks that overwinter here or small mammals in open areas where there is little snow cover. Eagles also will eat carrion that they discover as they soar over the river valleys. Eagles use their powerful eyesight to find their prey, their strong talons to catch their prey and their hooked beaks to tear their prey apart into chunks small enough to swallow.

An eagle’s eyesight is so acute that it can from a considerable height look into the water, spot a small fish and tell what species it is. Because eagles have slightly polarized eyesight due to a coating of an oil-like substance on their retina, they can see beneath glare of the surface film of the water better than we can, especially in early morning and late afternoon when the sun is not high in the sky and its rays slant into the water.  

The Twin Cities contain several areas of open water where eagles congregate in winter. Some of these areas are listed in the table below. Most are stretches of rivers either: 1) where a power plant discharges warm water into the river, 2) where due to narrowing of the channel water flows too fast to freeze, or 3) where the turbulence below a dam keeps the water open. Where streams flow into lakes or ponds and produce a small area of open water, eagles can be occasionally found there. This winter (2005-2006) there are several areas of open water not normally found in past winters, so the eagles are more widely distributed throughout the Twin Cities region than in past years. But, because an eagle usually overwinters year after year in the same area, they still are mostly concentrated in their traditional overwintering locations. It’s the young eagles that have not bonded to a particular overwintering location that are found hunting in areas of open water that in past years were usually frozen.

As winter progresses and especially if winter becomes severe, in order to find open water where fish are available, many eagles may move south of the Twin Cities to areas of open water father down the Mississippi.

When warm weather returns in the spring, the eagles move up the Mississippi to the Twin Cities region and then suddenly leave to return to their nesting areas when the riparian habitats where they nest as the water in these areas thaws. Each year the number of nests in the Twin Cities increase as more and more young eagles end their roaming days, find mates and settle down to raise their families.

When winter ends, the immature eagles that have not yet sought a mate continue their wandering.

What Time of Day Do Bald Eagles Fish?

Eagles prefer to hunt for fish or other prey, or carrion, in the early morning and late in the afternoon. Eagles will be seen perched in the trees along the open areas of the rivers, on the ice near the open areas or occasionally looking for fish while soaring above the river if there is a wind or thermals (updrafts of sun warmed air rising from the river valley) to aid their flight. The best times to see perched eagles in winter is in the two hours beginning at dawn, and from an hour before sunset to about a half hour after sunset.

Eagles need to conserve their energy in the winter and even when hunting for their next meal they will limit their activity in order not to deplete their energy reserves. After they eat they will usually perch for awhile before hunting the next meal. If there is a wind or if there are thermals they may be seen soaring in the middle of the day.

Where Do Eagles Go At Night?

After returning to the river and searching for the last meal of the day, eagles find shelter at night from the winter winds in communal roosts in the trees deep in the floodplain forest or in the ravines along the river. These roosts are usually located within a mile or two of the open water where the eagles congregate during the day. In some places, over a hundred eagles will roost together. See for example the Bald Eagle Bluff Scenic and Natural Area located on the Mississippi River (see table below and http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna01086/index.html

I Need Your Help and Feedback!

Let me know about your eagle watching adventures. If you email photographs, let me know about any limitations on their use. I may add your information or photographs to this web page or use them in my forthcoming book A guide to Wild Eagle Watching in the Upper Mississippi River Region.

If any reader has additional information or locations that I should add to my web site or otherwise know about, please let me know at dukeaddicks@earthlink.net.

I’m Available

If you want me to guide your group’s eagle watching event, to make a presentation on eagle watching or make my presentation, HONOR THE EAGLES! American Indian Eagle and Thunderbird Legends and Lore, to your group or organization, or to attend one of my many public presentations on eagles, see my web page http://www.dukeaddicksstoryteller.com for more information or email me at dukeaddicks@earthlink.net or call me at (651) 643-0622.

Where to Watch Eagles in Winter in the Twin Cities Area  According to Duke Addicks

(651) 643-0622   dukeaddicks@earthlink.net

Some of the likely areas in the Twin Cities where concentrations of eagles may be found, especially from December and into March:

Where                                                            What you may see.

The Mississippi River at the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park East (Anoka County). (763) 757-4700. Exit from I-694 on East River Road North. Follow East River Road north then turn west on Egret Blvd and follow it to that portion of the park located on the east side of the river	A few eagles may be viewed occasionally around the open water below the dam. The park is located on both sides of the river, but the best place to observe eagles is from the park on the east side of the river. Construction activities in the park may limit your access to the viewing areas.
The Mississippi River Gorge where the river flows between Minneapolis and St. Paul, just below Lock and Dam #1 which is located just downriver from the Ford Bridge.	Occasionally eagles can be seen feeding in the area below the dam and they can best be viewed from the trail along the East River Boulevard on the St. Paul (east) side of the river just south of Ford Parkway. Eagles frequently fly back and forth above the river from St. Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis to where it joins the Minnesota River at Mendota and they can be observed from many places on the trails on both sides of the gorge, especially this winter (2005-2006) because the river has not frozen. But when the river freezes in midwinter, the area below the lock and dam is the best place to find them along this stretch of the river.
The Minnesota River at the Black Dog Preserve unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The general phone number is (952) 854-5900. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST VIEWING AREA IN THE TWIN CITIES. There are two ways to get to Black Dog Road.   Take the Black Dog Road exit from I-35W just south of the Minnesota River.   Or exit from Cedar Avenue just south of the Minnesota River onto East Highway 13. Then go east on 13 and turn left (south) at the first stoplight which is Silver Bell Road. Follow Silver Bell Road to Nichols Road, then turn right on Nichols Road and follow it to where, underneath the Cedar Avenue Bridge, it becomes Black Dog Road which you follow west along the river.	Eagles congregate along the open water of the Minnesota River between the I-35W and Cedar Avenue bridges. They may be viewed from Black Dog Road in Burnsville which runs alongside the south shore of the Minnesota River.   (A special guided tour of this area occurs every Sunday in the winter—see below).   Watch for eagles flying above the river, and Black Dog Lake which runs south of the road, or perched in the trees along both sides of the river.   An excellent place to get out and walk is the parking lot on the north side of the road just east of 35W. The lot is beside a stream draining the warm waters of Black Dog Lake into the river. Many eagles and gulls fish in this area and eagles are usually in the trees watching for fish.   Another good location is the pull off beside the power plant where the plant discharges warm water into the river.   The best time to see eagles along Black Dog Road is the hour just after sunrise and the hour before sunset, but they will be around all day soaring or perching in trees along the river.   Be sure to watch also for the male peregrine falcon that nests on a platform on the tallest of the power plant smokestacks. His mate has gone to the southern tip of South America, but he stays behind. She’ll be back at their nest come spring. He has plenty of food as he hunts the gulls that are here in the late fall and the ducks that winter here.
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center Eagle Viewing Van Tours. The visitor center is located at 3815 American Blvd. E. in Bloomington. Exit from I-494 on 34th Street and go South then turn East on American Blvd.	Eagles may also be viewed every Sunday in December 2005 through March 2006 (call to see if this continues in future years), weather permitting, from a four-wheel drive van which leaves the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at 2:30 p.m., and either goes down into the valley on trails behind the visitor center to the river, or goes on paved roads to Black Dog Road (see above), returning between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m.   Call for reservations, (952) 858-0740, as space is limited (there is no fee but donations to the Friends of the Minnesota Valley are appreciated).   I’m usually your driver/guide for this tour, but occasionally other knowledgeable naturalists may conduct the tour. Group tours may be arranged by calling the same number. See also the on line Refuge Calendar for information on other programs I present at the refuge.   The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge web page is: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/minnesotavalley/calendar.html These tours are sponsored by the Friends of the Minnesota Valley http://www.friendsofmnvalley.org/conservation.htm
The Mississippi River between South Saint Paul and Pig’s Eye Lake Scenic and Natural Area.	Eagles may be viewed in early winter and in mild winters on the Mississippi River from the bicycle/pedestrian trail that runs along the West side of the river in South St. Paul.   A pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the busy railroad tracks provides access to the trail and is located where Grand Avenue intersects with Hardman Avenue just one block east of Concord and north of I-494.
The St. Croix River at Bayport below the King Power Plant located just east of Highway 95 just south of MN Highway 36. From MN Highway 95 turn east on 10th Ave. N.	There are viewing areas areas along the river and a nest nearby. This winter (2005-2006) few eagles are seen in this location.
The Mississippi River just below Lock and Dam #2 at the Hastings City Park just below Lock and Dam #2. From Highway 61 in Hastings, exit on city streets just south of the highway bridge over the Mississippi and follow city streets toward the river where Main Street and West 2nd Street parallel the river. This street passes under the Highway 61 bridge, and is called Main Street east of the underpass and West 2nd Street west of the underpass.   Go west on 2nd Street one block from where it passes under Highway 61 and turn north toward the river on Lock and Dam Road. The signage is poor, as are these directions, but there is a wrought iron fence and fancy streetlights at the intersection. Follow the road to the Lock and Dam.	Eagles may be viewed from the new city park that runs along the west side of the Mississippi just below the lock and dam. Either go out onto the viewing platform or walk along the river to view the eagles that come here to feed on the fish stunned by going over the dam. Eagles often fly over this stretch of the river and perch in the trees on either side of the river to watch for fish.

Many eagles may also be viewed in the winter and early spring on the Mississippi River south of the Twin Cities at the following popular locations.

The area of the Mississippi River below Lock and Dam #3, and the confluence of the Vermillion River and the Mississippi. From Highway 61, exit east on the County Road that leads to Lock and Dam #3 and the Prairie Island Indian Community. Where that road crosses the Vermillion River, look for eagles perched in the trees.   The route to the mouth of the Vermillion River is difficult to describe. South of the road leading to the casino and lock and dam, but north of the Cannon River, turn east on the dirt road. Follow the fork, that goes up over the bluff and then down to the Vermillion River. Where that road crosses the river, look for eagles.	The Vermillion River flows into the Mississippi just below the lock and dam, but also flows close to the road leading to the lock and dam. Eagles can be seen perched in the trees along the Lock and Dam Road as it nears the lock, but the observation deck is closed in the winter so the area below the lock is difficult to access. However, by following the back roads toward the mouth of the Vermillion River, many eagles can be seen flying and perched in trees.
Red Wing’s Colville Park on the Mississippi River. About 55 miles South of the Twin Cities on Highway 61. Follow Highway 61 south through Red Wing then turn west by the Day’s Inn onto MN Hwy 292, and follow the frontage road and the city park signs north for a long block. Then turn right and go down to the underpass and at the stop sign turn right toward the river and go under Highway 61 into the park.	Naturalists are there some weekends in February and March to help visitors spot eagles. Eagles can best be seen from the point where the marina buildings are located.
Bald Eagle Bluff Scenic and Natural Area, located on the bluff on the west side of Highway 61 just south of Camp LaCupolis and north of Reed’s Landing.	This is one of the major eagle roosting sites along the Minnesota side of the Mississippi. In the winter, eagles come here to roost in the evening where there is shelter from the winter winds. If the river below the bluff is open, eagles can be seen perched in the trees on the east side of Highway 61, but if the river is frozen, the eagles congregate in the nearby Reed’s landing area. See http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna01086/index.html
Reed’s Landing on the Mississippi River where the river narrows and flows rapidly out of Lake Pepin. Reed’s Landing is about 75 miles south of the Twin Cities on Highway 61.	Eagles are best viewed from the southernmost of the two pull off areas on the river side of Highway 61 between Camp LaCupolis and Reed’s Landing from which eagles can be observed along the open water where the river narrows and in the trees on the side of the highway above the pull-off.   Also turn east from Highway 61 into Reed’s landing and drive south (downriver) along 1st Street which parallels the river to observe the many eagles that will be in the trees above the houses. Drive carefully as the area may be congested with eagle watchers who are not watching for cars. At the south end of town, some persons park and cross the railroad tracks to observe the eagles in the trees along the river better, but watch out for rapidly moving frequent trains especially if you have small children along.
Wabasha, Minnesota at the viewing deck at Pembroke Avenue and the Mississippi River just behind the National Eagle Center located at 152 Main Street. (651) 565-4989. http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/ Wabasha is about 85 miles south of the Twin Cities on Highway 61.	From the observation deck eagles can be observed year round, but during the winter when the strong current flowing from Lake Pepin keeps the river open, many eagles congregate at this location. It’s not unusual in early and mid-March to observe hundreds of eagles here.   The temporary facilities of the National Eagle Center are open everyday except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk in and see live captive eagles up close. Feeding time starts at 1 p.m. and lasts for an hour or so. Pat Daddario, Chair of the Mdewakanton Indian Community of Mendota and I are there most Fridays. As we feed and take care of the eagles, I tell American Indian legends and lore about eagles. There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated as the Center is funded primarily by private donations. No federal government funds are involved. The Center received its designation as the National Eagle Center by the federal government, however. Construction will begin in the summer of 2006 of a new, much larger facility located directly on the river.

A useful list of many of the eagle watching events on the Upper Mississippi can be found in the January-February and March-April issues of Big River Magazine and at their web site at http://www.big-river.com/br.calendar.html

Where to see Captive Eagles in addition to the National Eagle Center

The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, 1920 Fitch Avenue, Falcon Heights, Minnesota (the “St. Paul Campus”)  (612) 624-4745. http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/

Hours are generally everyday except Mondays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm., but call ahead to make sure. Walk in tours of the education bird areas are available free to members and to non-members for a modest donation. Even though the Raptor Center is part of the University of Minnesota, most of its funding comes from donations from the public. The center has a golden eagle and several bald eagles which are used for educational purposes. There are no tours of the clinic itself as the raptors that are being rehabilitated (usually 60 to 80 or so at any one time) need to be undisturbed in order to recover.   I give tours most Wednesday afternoons. Raptor Center programs, including my HONOR THE EAGLES! American Indian Eagle and Thunderbird Legends and Lore can be scheduled for groups but there is a fee.

Acknowledgments

My Thanks to the staff of the National Eagle Center, especially Program Director Mary Beth Garrigan who teaches me how to handle eagles and who knows where the wild eagles are; and to the staff of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, especially Dr. Pat Redig, Director, Dr. Julia Ponder, Associate Director,

Lisa Koch, Education Director, Kate Hanson, Education Bird Curator, Vivian Neiger, Volunteer  Manager, Jerry Morrow, the leader of my crew, and all of the other staff and volunteers there who have encouraged me in my pursuit of knowledge about eagles.

Consider Contributing

If you find this document helpful, please consider sending a donation to the National Eagle Center, 152 Main St, Wabasha, MN 55981, the Raptor Center, 1920 Fitch Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108, or the Friends of the Minnesota Valley, 3815 American Blvd., Bloomington, MN 55425.  Mark the check memo line “for Duke’s handout”. Contributions are tax deductible. Or consider becoming a member of or a volunteer at any or all of these organizations. Membership and volunteering information is available on their web sites which are in the table above.

Good recent books about the Bald Eagle

These and many other books about bald eagles are available at the wonderful bookstore and gift shop at the National Eagle Center and may be ordered by phone (651) 565-4989.

Breining, Greg. Return of the Eagle: How America Saved Its National Symbol. Falcon Publishing, Guilford, Connecticut, 1994. Contains excellent photographs by Frank Oberle.

Gibbons, Gail. Soaring With the Wind: The Bald Eagle. Morrow Junior Books, New York, 1998. Although marketed for children, this well researched book provides excellent information for all ages.

Hutchinson, Alan. Just Eagles. Willow Creek Press, Minocqua, Wisconsin, 2000. The best book about the bald eagle that I have come across. Photographs by Bill Silliker, Jr. are excellent.

Morrison, Gordon. Bald Eagle. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998. Although marketed for children,