Bald Eagles

Minnesota has the second largest population of nesting bald eagles in the United States, only Alaska has more. The main reason for this is because Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, actually we have 11,842. Although bald eagles are opportunistic and will eat which ever food is the easiest to get, including roadkill, they are a member of a group of eagles called sea or fish eagles. The feathers on sea/fish eagles stop at the top of their leg revealing a scaled leg that is designed for dipping into the water to catch fish. So where there is a lot of water and fish there are usually bald eagles not too far away. At this time of the year most of the lakes and rivers here in Minnesota are frozen over. Many Minnesotans enjoy ice fishing but the ice makes it difficult for the eagles to get to the fish. So during the winter the eagles will congregate around the few places that there is still open water. One of the more popular spots for the eagles to winter is along the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota between the towns of Red Wing and Wabasha. It is often possible to view hundreds of eagles by driving the scenic highway 61 between the two cities. This photo was taken at Colvill Park in Red Wing, MN.