How To: Spot a Bald Eagle

Every winter, thousands of bald eagles follow migrating flocks of waterfowl to Missouri. With keen eyes and a pair of binoculars, it’s easy to spot America’s national symbol in the wild. Here’s how.

What to Bring

• A pair of binoculars or a spotting scope will bring distant eagles into view.
• A field guide will help you identify other soaring birds.
• Winter weather can be cold and windy. Pack a puffy coat so you can stay outside longer.
• A stocking cap will keep your head toasty, and gloves will keep your fingers warm and nimble — especially when they’re gripping binoculars.
• Snacks and warm cocoa will fuel your body’s furnace.

Where to Go

Bald eagles are like pirates, sailing the skies, eagle-eyed, looking for food to loot. They mostly plunder fish and waterfowl, but they won’t turn up their beaks at any meat — even if it’s been dead for a bit. To find eagles, go where there’s water and food, like big rivers, large lakes, or wetlands. Here are a few hot spots to check out.

1. Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
2. Smithville Lake
3. Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge
4. Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area
5. Lock and Dam 20
6. Lock and Dam 24
7. Lock and Dam 25
8. Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area
9. Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
10. Bagnell Dam Access at Lake of the Ozarks
11. Truman Reservoir
12. Schell-Osage Conservation Area
13. Stockton Lake
14. Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery
15. Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

What to Look For

• Bald eagles aren’t bald! If you look closely at one through binoculars, you’ll see that its head is covered with crisp white feathers.
• It takes a young eagle about five years to get the white head and tail of an adult. Until then, a youngster has a brown head and tail with a blotchy brown body and wings. In areas with lots of eagles, you’ll likely see both youngsters and adults.
• A hungry eagle isn’t shy about stealing a meal. They’ve even been known to snatch fish from anglers and ducks from hunters. Watch long enough, and you may see one swipe snacks from another eagle.
• Male eagles swoop, cartwheel, and somersault through the air to show off for female eagles. If a female likes what she sees, she flies over to hold hands with the male. With their talons locked, the eagles plummet to the ground. Just before they go splat, they let go and swoop back into the sky.
• Some eagles migrate north in the spring. Others nest in Missouri. If you spot an enormous pile of sticks in a tree, it’s a good bet you’ve found an eagle nest.

Binocular Tips

Focusing a pair of binoculars on a soaring eagle can be a challenge for first-timers. Follow these steps, and you’ll be a pro in no time.

16. Find the eagle with your bare eyes.
17. Without taking your eyes off your feathered friend, raise the binoculars to your eyes. The eagle should appear in the center of the image.
18. If you don’t see it, lower the binoculars and try again. Remember: Don’t look at the binocs, keep your eyes glued to the bird!
19. If the eagle looks fuzzy, simply turn the focus knob until the image becomes sharp.