Some beautiful birds have migrated to Ozarks lakes for the winter. Missouri Conservation agents say there have been reports of five or six bald eagles at Lake Springfield. They're an annual treat around Lake Springfield and the James River, seen soaring above the water or perched in the tree tops. "They're normally going to migrate here in the winter months," says Missouri Department of Conservation Naturalist, Kim Banner.

Usually arriving in December and gone by February, eagle watchers like Rita Amesbury feel lucky to see such a sight. "We came down last year and watched them, and they were just flying over us, and they're just so regal when they fly over. They're beautiful," says Amesbury.

Banner believes their majestic beauty is just one reason bald eagles are so loved. "I think people just really like them, as being one of the symbols for the United States, but also, I think people realize how close were were to losing this great bird," Banner says. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species, and Missouri, one of the leading bald eagle states, did the same just a few months ago.

"They are fish eaters, so they like to be someplace where the water's not frozen," Banner explains. When you go looking for eagles, you may want to bring some binoculars. But in about 15 minutes near the dam at Lake Springfield, with our bare eyes and TV camera, we saw one bald eagle right above and what appeared to be another 5 or 6 off in the distance.

"Look for white in the brown on the tree line, and that's your best chance of finding them. Of course, you need binoculars or having a spotting scope is not a bad idea," Banner says. She says look for the white head and white tail, and you could be lucky enough to spot a bald eagle as quickly as Amesbury. "About five minutes; I was here last year, and I kinda knew where they sat in the trees, so I looked over there, and was lucky enough to spot one," she says.

Bald eagles are protected by the Federal Eagle Protection Act, which makes it a felony to shoot an eagle or disturb it's nest. You can learn more about bald eagles and see the beautiful bird up-close at Eagle Days later this month. Learn more about Eagle Days at this link:
click here.