Home of the bald eagle!  In 1989 Clinton Lake generated statewide headlines when a pair of bald eagles nested in the Deer Creek arm of the reservoir. This was the first nesting in Kansas since pioneer days. The birds have returned annually to the highly protected aerie. High limestone bluffs, clear water, wooded shorelines, tallgrass prairie, croplands, and miles of hiking and camping trails make this one of the most remarkable recreation and wildlife-viewing sites in Kansas. Start your visit at the Corps of Engineers Information Center. A walk on the Backwoods Nature Trail will give you the opportunity to learn about the natural history of this area. Visit the dam and its overlook on the north end, drive through the Clinton Wildlife Area in the upper reaches of the reservoir, and walk the various hiking trails. The prairie blooms from spring to fall with prairie violets, Missouri evening primrose, lead plant, butterfly milkweed, Baldwin's ironweed, and dozens of other wildflowers. Bullfrogs and painted turtles are found in the wetlands in summer. Look for slender glass lizards along the bluebird trail. Squirrels, foxes, coyotes, white-tailed deer, bobcats, beaver, and mink are sighted year-round. Nesting birds include Canada geese, wood ducks, red-bellied woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, mourning doves, eastern bluebirds, red-tailed hawks, and American kestrels. Eight trails in the vicinity of the lake can be experienced by avid hikers and naturalists.