Want to see bald eagles, thousands of waterfowl? Visit wildlife refuge north of KC
The eagles are back — along with more than 160,000 other migratory birds.
Conservationists had counted more than 100 bald eagles already at the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Missouri as of early last week, making them the star attraction for this weekend’s annual Eagle Days.
The public is invited to the free event Saturday and Sunday to admire the wildlife, see zoologists present a live eagle show, hike the bluffs or take a driving tour.
“Extensive wetlands at Loess Bluffs attract large flocks of ducks and geese, often numbering in the thousands,” according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, which partners with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in presenting Eagle Days. “The refuge is a key stopover for southward migrating waterfowl and shore birds as winter arrives.”
The bald eagles, the department said, are following their food.
Loess Bluffs, formerly called Squaw Creek, is north of St. Joseph and near Mound City, about 100 miles north of Kansas City.
“Our 3,400 acres of wetland habitat often finds itself so full of migrating waterfowl you can hardly see the water,” boasts the refuge’s website.
In just one week the estimated number of geese swelled from more than 41,000 to more than 121,000. The number of ducks has already peaked but there still were more than 40,000 of them.
And the eagles. They can be seen perched in trees, surveying the activity below, and occasionally swooping down on some unfortunate prey. Conservationists counted a record 476 bald eagles at the refuge during a 2001 survey.
“Because of the state’s big rivers, many lakes and abundant wetlands, Missouri is one of the leading lower 48 states for bald eagle viewing,” the conservation department said. “Each fall thousands of these great birds migrate south from their nesting range in Canada and the Great Lakes states to hunt in the Show-Me State.”
Staff from the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield will give indoor presentations with live eagles at the Loess Bluffs visitor center hourly from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The zoo cares for eagles that have recovered from injuries but cannot be released back into the wild.
Bald eagles on average are a yardstick long from their bill to tail with a wingspan of 7 feet or more. They are unique to North America and are the United States’ national emblem.
Bald eagles were once threatened with extinction but were removed from the endangered species list in 2007. The conservation department still considers their presence vulnerable in Missouri. Eagles are still protected by federal law.
Visitors can take a self-guided driving tour or a guided bus tour at the Loess Bluffs refuge, with interpretive stops, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Food vendors will also be available.
The Missouri Department of Conservation will present a live webcast on eagles from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4. It will be hosted by resource scientist Janet Haslerig and Eagle Days veteran Dan Zarlenga. Register in advance at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZT7.
Additional Eagle Days activities closer to Kansas City are planned Jan. 5-6 at the Smithville Lake Paradise Pointe Golf Course clubhouse.
In March, the same refuge sees thousands of snow geese during their migration.