Wintering bald eagles a favorite of Kansas naturalists
MANHATTAN — With the arrival of winter, the eagles have landed near Manhattan. Bald eagles have been migrating south, offering outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to see the national bird in its native habitat. To enhance this opportunity, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Tuttle Creek Reservoir has scheduled its annual Eagle Day 2010 for Saturday, Jan. 2, beginning at 9 a.m. and running until approximately noon.

The program is free and open to the public. All participants are asked to meet at 9 a.m. in the large assembly room at the Manhattan Fire Station located at 2000 Denison (the corner of Denison and Kimball) in Manhattan. Dan Mulhern, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will offer a short presentation on the nesting habits of bald eagles in Kansas. Pat Silovsky, director of the Milford Nature Center for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, will then feature several live raptors in her discussion of eagles and other birds of prey.

Following the two presentations at the fire station, members of the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society will take participants on a bus tour through the area downstream of Tuttle Creek Dam, with the goal of watching bald eagles in the wild. All participants should dress appropriately for the weather and bring binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras.

Tuttle Creek Eagle Day 2010 is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Sponsors of the bus service for the program include the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society and the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

For more information, phone Steve Prockish at the Corps of Engineers office, 785-539-8511 ext. 3167.

Other Eagle Days will be held throughout Kansas. The following locations are likely to have overwintering bald eagles and typically have special events in January or February. More details will be posted on the Natural Kansas website, www.naturalkansas.org/birding.htm, as they become available.

The F.L. Schlagle Library (on Wyandotte Lake) will conduct an Eagle Day on Jan. 16. Events will include the following:
• eagle presentations by Operation Wildlife at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
• Birds of Prey exhibit at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.;
• PBS show American Eagle at 11:30 a.m.; and
• children's crafts, activities, and eagle watching all day.

The Milford Reservoir Eagle Day events will be on Jan. 16 and 17. Events will include the following:

Saturday, January 16
• 10:30 a.m. — Milford Nature Center opens;
• 11:15 a.m. — live eagle program;
• 12 p.m. — Raptors of Kansas (live birds);
• 12:45 p.m. — nesting eagles in Kansas;
• 1:30 p.m. — live eagle program;
• 2:15 p.m. — Owls of Kansas (live birds);
• 3 p.m. — nesting eagles in Kansas;
• 3:45 p.m. — live eagle program;
• 4:30 p.m. — Milford Nature Center closes; and
• buses for viewing bald eagles at the lake will leave every hour beginning at 11 a.m., with the last bus leaving at 2 p.m.

Sunday, January 17
• 11:30 a.m. Milford Nature Center opens;
• 12:15 p.m. — live eagle program;
• 1 p.m. — Milford's nesting eagles;
• 1:45 p.m. — Raptors of Kansas (live birds);
• 2:30 p.m. — live eagle program;
• 3:15 p.m. — Owls of Kansas (live birds);
• 4 p.m. — Milford Nature Center closes; and
• buses for viewing bald eagles at the lake will leave every half hour beginning at noon with the last bus leaving at 2:30 p.m.

The Perry Reservoir Eagle Day will be Jan. 23. Phone 785-597-5144 for details.

Jayhawk Audubon's 2010 Eagle Day will be on Jan. 24 at the Free State High School Commons in Lawrence. More details will be posted at www.naturalkansas.org/birding.htm as they become available.

The Chaplin Nature Center near Arkansas City will host Eagle Days on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon each day. The group will take a 1.5-mile hike to the Arkansas River and search for eagles. For more information, phone 620-442-4133 or email cnc@wichitaaudubon.org.

To learn more about eagles and other raptors, visit the Great Plains Nature Center's "Raptor's Roost," www.gpnc.org/raptors.htm.
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