An eagle love story

We visited an area lake this weekend looking for the three snowy owls that birders reported seeing toward the end of last week. Snowy owls rarely make it this far south, and it would have been exceptionally exciting to see one of them.

Unfortunately, we did not find the owls. Maybe they moved on after receiving so much attention—one birder reported “hordes” of people watching one of the owls sit on a post on Friday. But we did see our first bald eagle of the new year, sitting high in a tree with his back to the photographers and gawkers gathered beside the road.

I wrote about the two-decade love affair of a pair of bald eagles in Kansas for the Winter 2011 issue of Lawrence Magazine. In 1989, the first nesting pair of bald eagles in the state set up housekeeping out at the lake, to the delight of local bird watchers. Tragically, the male lost his mate that year, but he returned the next year with a new mate and thus began a bald eagle dynasty in Kansas. As we watched the eagle on Saturday (so aloof from the crowds!), I hoped it was one of those original bald eagle homesteaders, or a son, daughter, grandchild, or in-law. It’s always a thrill to see these great birds, and even more thrilling knowing their family history.

If you’re in Northeast Kansas and you’re interested in learning more about our bald eagles, the Jayhawk Audubon Society and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sponsors Kaw Valley Eagles Day, a celebration of the return of bald eagles to the area. It is scheduled for January 21.