Eagle Days returns to the area in February

Above, Jim Cosgrove of the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, and an American Bald Eagle named Phoenix, watch as zoo representative Danita Rafferty explains the features of eagles' eyes to a group of students during the Missouri Department of Conservation's Eagle Days during Eagle Days at Schell-Osage Conservation Area in January 2004. Eagle's eyesight is five to six times as sharp as human eyesight , and a protective membrane keeps the birds' eyes from drying out during flight and from damage when the birds dive into water seeking prey.

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

Eagle Days at the Schell-Osage Conservation Area will be held Feb. 3 and 4, a special opportunity for the public to view eagles and to learn about the birds.

Friday will be set aside for school children to take advantage of the event and Saturday will be open to the public. Activities planned include live eagle programs, presentations on the biology and recovery of eagles in Missouri, displays and activities for children.

"There will be a presentation every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.," Lana Wilson said. "We'll have spotter scopes set up for viewing eagle nests as well."

Eagles were once on the federal Endangered Species list but their numbers have increased enough to be upgraded so eagles are considered merely threatened on the national level but they remain on the Missouri endangered list although that may change also.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says biologists roughly estimate that the summer population of eagles in Missouri is around 200 with a winter population more than 2,800.

Eagles used to be concentrated in the cypress swamps of the Bootheel area of Missouri before the cypress forests were cut and the swamps drained. That habitat loss and hunting are what initially decimated Missouri's bald eagle population, the eagles were already gone from Missouri before the introduction of DDT in mid-century impacted hatching success in other areas of the country.

The construction of large reservoirs in Missouri has created bald eagle habitat in parts of the state other than the traditional Bootheel area and the increase of eagles is the result of reintroductions and the natural recolonization of their former range. From 1981 to 1990, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Dickerson Park Zoo released 74 eglets in Missouri. These eglets were raised in artificial nests constructed for them at two locations; Schell Osage Wildlife Area and Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Missouri.

The hope was that if the eagles grew up in the area, they would return as adults and nest in Missouri. Since then, the eagle population has increased, until as of 2004, more than 2,600 eagles spent the winter months in Missouri.

To enjoy the day to the fullest it is suggested that anyone coming to Eagle Days bring winter outdoor clothing, camera and binoculars along with family and friends.

The Schell-Osage Conservation area participated in Eagle Days in January 2004, with hundreds in attendance.

For more information, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation Web site at www.mdc.mo.gov or call (417) 432-3414 or (417) 876-5226 or (573)751-4115, ext. 3289.