BY TARA BECKER SVS REPORTER tbecker@svnmail.com
FULTON - Huddled together on the observation deck at Lock and Dam 13, a crowd gathered Saturday in the hope of seeing one of nature's fiercest airborne predators - the American bald eagle.
They weren't disappointed; nearly 500 of the white-headed raptors descended along the Iowa bank of the Mississippi River, hoping to catch a meal - and not just fish.
A cry came out of the crowd as someone caught sight of a small mallard desperately flapping its wings with an eagle in pursuit. The little duck avoided being snatched mid-air, but as soon as it hit the river, several other eagles began to circle it, each using its eagle eyes to spy an opening to beat the competition.
Unfortunately for the duck, one of the eagles went home well-fed.
Crowds armed with cameras and binoculars spent the day swarming the lock and dam during the 24th annual Bald Eagle Watch to see the once-endangered species as they took turns scooping up dinner from icy waters.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Thomson Park Rangers, in cooperation with Clinton Community College and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invited folks to come up to the observation deck to watch the eagles put on their show.
The college played host to a variety of indoor events, including an eagle video program, presentations by environmental groups and speakers, children's activities and a musical performance by Chuck Jacobson, a naturalist for the Clinton County Conservation Board.
Alan Anderson, wildlife refuge specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said this was a good year to see the eagles.
"When I came to do a count at 7 a.m. last year, I counted only 12 eagles," Anderson said. "This year when I came in, I counted 483. This is really an exceptional year to be doing this."
Anderson said the eagles begin migrating from the north in search of food when the rivers begin to freeze over. Because the water was not completely frozen over, more eagles are out this year than normal.
"I've been doing this for six years and I've never seen so many birds," Anderson said. "As soon as it starts getting cold and the ice forms on the river, they begin to come down in search of open water that's not frozen."
Normally solitary creatures in warm weather, bald eagles often stay in large groups for protection during the winter months.
"There is safety in numbers," Anderson said. "Not that there are many predators that are after eagles, but during the spring and fall migrations, it's always safer to be in a group."
Five-year-old Joey Holmberg, of Fulton, pointed across the water as one of the eagles swooped down and skimmed the water, picking up a prize along the way.
"I just saw a fish in the eagle's mouth!" he said.
His mother, Melissa Holmberg, gave him a boost up to the telescope for a better view. Having moved from Chicago to Fulton in November, she said her family has never seen a bald eagle in the wild.
"This is way different than Chicago," Holmberg said. "My son just loves to see the birds. The only other time we've seen one is in a cage, so this is really wonderful."
G.G Garcia, of Amboy, made his first trip Saturday to see the eagles, something he wanted to do for the last 10 years.
"I'm originally from Texas," Garcia said. "This is just super. Whoever picked the eagle as our national bird was right.
"It's so sad to see such a beautiful bird in captivity. This is really the way God meant for them to be, flying out in nature."
His wife, Sheila, also was excited to finally see the eagles in person.
"You maybe see one a month while you're driving along the highway," she said. "It's really neat to see so many of them out here."
Hilary Johnson, a natural resources specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the number of birds at year's bald eagle watch doesn't come along often.
"The amount of eagles that are out here today is something that a lot of people will never see again," Johnson said. "I think that to the people who are out here today, especially the kids, this will be a real eye opener.
"It takes something like this to bring education to the kids about how important natural resources are. That's the whole point of this day for me."
Reach Tara Becker at (815) 625-3600, (815) 284-2222 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 570.
