βTis the season for eagle watching
With a wingspan of almost eight feet and a white feathered head that lends to its name, the American Bald Eagle is a majestic site for hobbyists alike.
Bald eagles live in Canada and Alaska and are scattered throughout the lower 48 states. Even Illinois, including Monroe County, has its share of eagles that migrate to the state for winter.
Retired Waterloo teacher Larry Hood is one of many in the area who enjoys this spectacle.
βThat was unheard of 20 years ago. To have eagles here in the county, right over City Lakes (in Waterloo), is really cool,β Hood said of his viewing experiences throughout the years.
Hood has been to Lakeview Park this season to see them in the woods to the east of the park, as well as diving down to the surface of the water for food.
βI donβt think theyβre nesting because I didnβt see anything like that,β he observed.
Republic-Times photographer Judy Brinkmann of Waterloo also took her camera over to the City Lakes over the weekend, capturing a convocation of eagles in one of the trees over the water.
βItβs really cool seeing the eagles at Lakeview Park just across from my father-in-lawβs house,β she noted. βIt was this time last year that we saw dozens. I spotted 20 in one tree.β
Over the years, Brinkmann has also taken a trip down Levee Road to spot an eagleβs nest below Eagle Cliff Cemetery in Waterloo.
βItβs increasing from what Iβve seen,β Brinkmann said of the eagle population in the county…>>>
Read the rest of the story in the January 17, 2018,Β issue of the Republic-Times.
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